Past Grievances
by WinterVines
Summary: A follow up fic to "The Three Hardest Phrases". What's in the past, is in the past right? This is now, so why do past things keep getting in the way? Shunsui x Nanao
1. Remembrance

A/N: Well, a follow up was inspired as of today. I was working on this at two this morning. This is more like a chapter to get me back into the swing of things because I've written some other things since "The Three Hardest Phrases". I don't know exactly where I'm going with this yet, only loose fragments. I'll do my best. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

P.S. There's an important question at the end that I require an opinion of. Thanks.

Disclaimer: Is it really necessary? I got nothing...still...

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**Past Grievances  
**Chapter One: Remembrance

The milky fog swirled around the motionless figure of Nanao Ise. Zanpakuto in hand, she listened for movement in the darkness beyond the white. There were rustles of the leaves here and there, telling her she had company.

Two black-clad figures approached her then, hands flashing dangerously with the familiar flame she used so often. She could no longer use her own kido, her enemy had made sure of that. She was already tired, but she had to keep going. It was fight or die.

The fog, she found, was mainly in effect for draining her reiatsu. It worked little by little, but Nanao knew she would be pushing it if she tried to ignite her own power. It took all she had just to avoid the onslaught brought by her opponent.

The two in front of her suddenly vanished, the mist parting slightly. Bracing herself, Nanao peered through the mist as another figure came closer. The identity was undeniable. Red flaming hair, a swaying gait, a curved blade that reflected the full moon...yes, it could only be one.

Leiko Tokinori.

She had a wicked grin on her face, anticipating how much fun she was going to have. Without giving Nanao time to think, she lunged, aiming for a swift kill. Nanao had to step back and block, not really expecting her quickness.

They chased each other for hours, each becoming more and more tired as their blood trickled to the ground. Each river made ran towards the lower ground in the center of their clearing, combining to make a large pool.

The fire woman started to laugh, and for some reason unbeknownst to her, it made Nanao angry. With a surge of her strength, she dove her blade into the attacker, watching as it slowly pulled out and she sunk to the ground. She landed with a thud in the pool, adding her own to it. Nanao made sure she stayed motionless, eyes glued to the body before her.

She started to fall back, world being overwhelmed by darkness.

Nanao opened her eyes gently. She was not panicking, and she did not fear. Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, she glanced over at the time. Three was too early in the morning to be getting up, even for her.

She put her head back against her pillow, thinking again. This wasn't the first time she had this dream. It happened every now and then, and it bothered her now less than it used to. Had it been over a year already? She almost couldn't believe it. Sometimes the visions seemed so real, just like it was when she was there.

Still, she didn't really mind them anymore. Sometimes when she was in one of her more protective states, she enjoyed seeing her fall once again.

Looking over to her right, she smiled when her eyes fell upon the sleeping figure next to her. She watched his chest move up and down as he breathed, a comforting feeling coming over her. Before she had wondered what it would be like waking up like this everyday, once when she had wore his haori for comfort, and she found it to be just as wonderful as it seemed.

Turning over, she curled into his side, laughing a bit to herself when a faint 'Nanao-chan' was uttered from his sleeping form. His pink haori was draped across a chair on the other side of her room, his straw hat resting on her dresser. Yes, she valued everything she had now.

If you totaled everything up, Nanao could honestly say that Leiko was the one person she hated. She hated her even more than Aizen when he betrayed them, even more than Gin, who had caused Rangiku such pain. Hate was a very strong word, but she felt it necessary to be used.

She hated her for everything she had put all of them through. She kidnapped and tortured two of their officers just to find out information on her. She had deliberately caused an influx of hollows to lure their division out, slaughtering members and making it seem like Nanao had caused them the pain. She almost killed Shunsui, as well as herself, and it was all for the sake of jealousy. Yes, hatred was indeed due.

But even through all of that, she still learned something from the demon woman. Nanao learned exactly what was important to her, no questions asked. The person next to her was proof of that. She knew before that he had a significant place, but it took Leiko's actions to make her realize how much she _really_ needed him.

Thinking back, she confirmed the thought that Leiko really was a scary person. A woman scorned, or however else you would describe her (crazy and obsessed came to mind), was definitely a dangerous thing. Because she had been in the Twelfth, she had gotten access to many dangerous objects, the Depleter the most feared one of them all.

Even though that particular device almost killed her, Nanao thought that wasn't the scariest thing she encountered. It was the illusions for her. The fact that she could manipulate what a person saw, what they believed, even if it was just for an instant, was terrifying. Even if you knew it was false, a part of you still wanted to believe it. It was hard to break, especially when her power was heightened under the full moon.

For those few moments, Nanao had actually thought she killed the one person who mattered the most to her. She had learned later that he watched the whole scene play out, and it just made Nanao even more angry. She learned of the torment he went through by watching her. She hated her for that too.

She still didn't really know how she did it, how she managed to strike Leiko down before her strength gave out. Unohana described it as an adrenaline rush, given a person the ability to do things they normally couldn't. It seemed like a viable reason, but she remembered how it was agony to move, and how her limbs were so heavy.

The only thing she could think about in that moment though, was how much she wanted to stop the dream weaver. She had insulted her captain, making it seem like everything was a lie, and Nanao didn't like it. She also used _his_ nickname for her. That was unacceptable. He was the only person she would allow to use that. In the end, her motivation had been enough.

The relief didn't wash over her until she had woken up in the fourth. After seeing the sad state Shunsui was in, she knew that she had to say what she had been hiding soon. Although relieved, that feeling of losing him was greater, forcing her into action. She didn't want to have to feel that again.

As it turned out, things worked out quite nicely. Little had changed between them. He still came into the office late, and she still did most of the work. She was hitting him with her fan less, although an occasional rap kept him in line. She supposed that she was a bit more affectionate too, although not showing such things in public. It was those times _he_ did when she had to hit him. The whole Seireitei knew about them by now. She wasn't embarrassed, she just knew that he could be a little too extravagant sometimes.

She laughed to herself again at that thought. Extravagant indeed. She remembered the time when he had held a surprise Division party after she had been released from the Fourth. There was also a time when she found herself covered in wildflowers as she was walking to a lieutenant's meeting. He said they complimented her wonderfully, and that he had to show off how beautiful she was. She was slightly embarrassed, but he told her the other captains would be jealous they didn't have her as their vice. He got smacked for that one.

Still, she supposed he did do paperwork _sometimes_. Well, once in a while might be the more appropriate term for that. He still lacked in that area, claiming that he'd much rather spend time with his lovely Nanao-chan instead of slaving over less important things. She thought this rather sweet, even if it was being used to get out of doing work. She let him get away with it mostly, sometimes taking breaks to go sit with him. She had changed a bit.

Well, she still had a few cards up her sleeves. If it was an extremely busy day, she would get him to do work. She simply stated that he would not be coming home with her, and that she was not going home with him. That usually resulted in a pouty face and some work actually getting done. It seemed he liked her company as much as she liked his. He probably liked waking up next to her too.

Smiling, she felt herself slowly drift back to sleep, having good memories.

XoXoXoX

She was awake within four hours of falling back to sleep. She got up quietly, moving slow enough so she wouldn't wake Shunsui. She was ready in a half hour, even already having her daily cup of tea. She saw him roll over, and she went up to him.

He was now laying on his back. She leaned over and kissed him, earned a grumbled response in the process.

"See you in a few hours, Shunsui."

Smiling, he fell back asleep mumbling something about 'anything for his Nanao-chan.'

She chuckled quietly while going to the door. The sun was already out, but it was just beginning to get bright. She sighed a little, wondering how much paperwork there would be today. It was the middle of the month, so she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Then again, there was always something going on in the Eighth.

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A/N: Okay, important question time. I need to know if anybody would be offended if I included an OC. They won't have a big part, there just happens to be someone in that role in the grand design in my mind. They wouldn't be that important. I know some people downright hate OCs, so I thought I'd ask first. Let me know, k? Thanks -KG


	2. A New Face

A/N: Okay, techically it's tomorrow already, but I'm still up at one in the morning so this is like the same day for me. I've realized that these are just a hair shorter than usual, so I'm going to try and fix that. I didn't want this fic to be ridiculously long, but I need to do it justice. I'm excited because I just thought of something I can add to it. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

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Chapter Two: A New Face

With a yawn and a stretch, Shunsui lazily opened his eyes. Nanao had already gone, but he still felt the warmth and the indent where she had laid next to him. He really enjoyed that feeling. After chasing after her for so long, it was nice to bathe in the glory once he had her.

Sitting up slightly, he noticed that his Nanao-chan had left the shades closed for him, knowing it would be really bright by the time he got up. He smiled at her thoughtfulness. How did he ever function without her? Maybe he never really lived until he met her. This is what he liked to tell himself.

Getting up, he noticed that it was still a little before noon. It was slightly early for him, but all the more reason to spend time with his Nanao-chan. Maybe he could get her to take a sake break with him today. He smiled again as some other memories came to mind. She didn't actually drink with him, not being a very avid drinker, but she did take the time out to sit with him.

When he thought about it, he probably should do some of the division work instead of pushing it all on Nanao. She did a fantastic job of it, but she probably shouldn't have to do all of it. She never seemed to complain, but he knew that on some days she was tired of it. On those kinds of days he usually did help, but it was usually because he was threatened. He sighted. Oh well, he just tried harder to make it up to her afterwards.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, he went over to fetch his haori and his hat. He stopped in front of the mirror on her dresser after putting on his hat, relieved to see it void of blood. Those had been tiring times. Since then, he never had to see Nanao in such a state of unrest. He was glad.

Lately, they had stayed more at her home than his. They alternated every once in a while, rarely spending a night away from each other. Shunsui didn't mind this in the slightest.

Making sure the door shut and the barrier up, he flashed towards the office in the hopes of seeing his Nanao-chan.

XoXoXoX

The office door slid open and the pink-clad captain strolled in, cheery as ever.

"Nanao-chan!" He was beaming. Then again, how could he not? He had woken up to his lovely Nanao-chan after all.

"Good morning." She already knew who it was before he had opened the door. She knew him better than the back of her own hand, something she secretly took pride in. She looked up, smiling at him. "You're early. I didn't expect you for another hour or so."

"I just couldn't wait to see my Nanao-chan any longer."

He walked to the side of her, giving her a kiss. He would've lingered a bit longer, but he knew that she didn't like showing off in public. If someone walked in she could get...upset. She didn't believe in flaunting like that, and he couldn't understand it for the life of him. Hell, if he had his way, everyone would be jealous of the things he did.

She smiled at him again. He was glad to see that she didn't find the action offensive in any way. It had been a long time since she used her fan, and he liked it that way.

He glanced down at her desk to see minimal work there. Good, maybe it wouldn't be a late night then. He'd made it a point to stay as long as she did, even if she was the only one working. He didn't think she minded the company.

As routine dictated, he went and lounged on the couch, much the same as he did everyday. Here he would listen to Nanao scribble away on the work, while she listened to his deep breathing while he slept. She had told him once that listening to him soothed her, and he wouldn't ever forget it. That had been once of her more revealing moments. Those didn't happen very often, even sparingly when they were alone.

Being content as he was, he settled for closing his eyes and listening to Nanao and the outside world. Sure, he'd just gotten up a little while ago, but now was different. Now he was with Nanao. He wouldn't need to break out the sake until later.

Remembering something from earlier, he struck up a conversation.

"Rumor has it that there's a new addition to the Third."

"Oh?" She didn't need to look up.

"Yeah, some kind of prodigy or something. They said he went through the academy like nothing. Tested out of everything. Yamma-Ji was going to give him an officer test I think."

She stopped writing for a moment. "Really? Those don't occur very often. I think Captain Hitsugaya was the last one, and that was so long ago."

"He's pretty skilled, I guess. It's a good thing they didn't put him in the Tenth, I think there may have been troubles."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Where did you hear this from? I don't believe I've heard of it before."

"Rangiku was telling me yesterday what Izuru told her. From what it sounds like, he wasn't too happy about it. He could just be jealous, I hear he's rather fond of Ivy."

"Nonsense. Captain Giahara is his good friend, even though she's the captain. They have more of a brother-sister relationship I think. At least, that's what I get from her at Association meetings. He must have some other reason." She had looked back down to her work.

"Maybe. I guess we'll see. They plan on stopping by one of these days. Apparently he was encouraged to mingle a bit. They wanted to see if he would be better placed somewhere other than Third. Rangiku said that you'd probably get along great with him. He's supposedly well-organized too."

She rolled her eyes at this statement, although he couldn't see.

"And if he's like any other callous man that she's said I'd get along with, I'll end up setting him on fire within the first five minutes."

He smiled from his place on the couch. "Well, if he flirts too much with you, feel free. I don't mind in the slightest."

He silently envisioned what a wild Nanao-chan would look like, her roasting some man for trying to touch her. It made him feel giddy that she was protective of herself, being attached and all, but then he turned serious, realizing that she would probably do it if he did touch her. That is, after he got done with him.

"We'll see I suppose. Who knows? Maybe he's an okay guy after all."

"Perhaps. Let's hope that Rangiku is actually right this time."

He nodded his head, aware of all the supposed people that Rangiku had previously tried to hook her up with. He hadn't really approved, but it was Rangiku's idea that maybe Nanao didn't pay him any mind because she was less experienced than him. It made some sense, but the whole thing turned out for naught.

He also noticed that she didn't address him once since he got here. It was strange, he mused, that she seemed to not know what to call him. Sure, when they were alone she called him Shunsui, but that dwindled when within the office. He supposed that she thought calling him 'Captain' or 'Sir' was defeating the purpose now, even though that's what she called him in the presence of others.

It was the odd times like this, stuck between the personal and professional world, that she seemed to struggle. It had been over a year already, but it was still something she was having problems with. Oh well, he figured that there would be many more years to come in which she would find the medium, so he wasn't worried about it.

Not wanting to think any more, he tilted his hat downwards and prepared for sleep.

XoXoXoX

"Sir." Nanao was standing on the roof of the office, where Shunsui had drifted to at some point in the afternoon. It was a nice day with a gentle breeze, but the weather was not helping her get him up.

Looking down at him, she couldn't help but smile at the peaceful look on his face. It was the same kind she woke up to many mornings, and it was the same one that she gave an awakening kiss to. She had to refrain from doing that now.

It wasn't that it was a bad thing, she just didn't like showing the soft side of her in public. He got to see that side other times.

Feeling slightly bolder that no one was around, she stood behind his head, blocking out the light. Crouching down to be closer to him, she shook his shoulder a little. "Shunsui."

She was rewarded with one eye peeking open at her, a goofy smile coming to his face.

"Now that's better. What is it, Nanao-chan?"

Before he could blink, she pulled out her fan and lightly tapped him with it. She got up, stepping out of the light. Striking his face, he groaned and threw and arm over his face, his hat been askew.

"My Nanao-chan is so cruel." He clutched at his heart.

"We have company. I'll be in the office."

Getting up, he followed her down, coming to greet his visitors. Upon entering, he saw three people standing before him, the captain and lieutenant of the Third Division and another young man. With an inclination of her head, the Third Captain spoke up.

"Good afternoon, Nanao, Shunsui."

-End of part two


	3. An Interesting Conversation

A/N: I was going to post this a little later today, but I'm going to be absent from my house tonight so I thought I would just put it up now. The last one was done at one in the morning...this one was done by 3:30. Let's face it, I'm a nightowl. Alright, here it is. I had some reviews stating that an OC wouldn't be minded. If anything else, they only add things to the plot. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

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Chapter Three: An Interesting Conversation

Captain Ivy Frost Giahara had replaced Gin Ichimaru as captain of the Third Division after his betrayal. It wasn't until after Aizen's fall that she took up the position, but she had helped run the division before that, trying to straighten things out that had become chaotic. Her dark hair contrasted her lighter skin. The captain's haori was normal, but her robe was modified.

"Why hello, Ivy, Izuru, and...?" He greeted the familiar faces but paused on not knowing how to address the young man that accompanied them.

"Yukio Otori. Pleased to meet you, Captain Kyouraku, Lieutenant Ise." He bowed low, showing respect.

He stood about the same height as Izuru, with approximately the same build. His hair was crimson colored, deeper than the common red. He had a sort of air about him, but Shunsui couldn't place exactly what it was.

"Well! You must be the one Seireitei's been talking about. We're pleased to meet you as well, right Nanao-chan?" She didn't reply, but she nodded her head so they could see.

One minute down.

Shunsui invited them all for a drink, deeming it an appropriate time to do so. Nanao didn't protest, but she could've when he left to retrieve some of his reserves. She wasn't sure about this new character.

Two minutes down.

"So...Yukio here had quite the marks when he tested out of kido." Captain Giahara was attempting to make conversation. "They're nowhere near yours, but they were still quite impressive. I don't think we have anyone in the division with marks like those."

"Oh, that's good to hear then. Your division is slowly piecing itself back together." Nanao had to be nice. She didn't like to think that her and this stranger could have many things in common, at least not yet. He was still too foreign.

Three minutes down.

It was true. The defeat of Aizen was over five years ago, but they were still left with picking up the pieces that had remained of their division. Ivy Giahara was newly promoted, but she seemed to manage alright. At least Izuru had accepted her.

"Lieutenant Ise, if you don't mind me asking, how do you manage to get everything done in your division? I hear you're an excellent worker. I can't help but stop and appreciate such dedication."

Four minutes down.

She answered him as politely as she could in that instant, making small talk until, much to her relief, Shunsui returned to the room. He offered a drink, and the others seemed to relax a little. Izuru started up a question by asking Yukio something, much to her surprise. He was usually quiet around company.

Five minutes down. First impression over.

Nanao breathed a slight air of relief. Though hardly noticeable, Shunsui picked up on her overall sense of relaxation, if only a bit. It seems that she wouldn't have to light him on fire after all.

They continued the conversation for another hour before the Third officers decided they needed to go. All five of them stood up, and Ivy spoke up.

"Izuru, could you take Yukio back to the division? Maybe you could show him some of the work we do. I need to talk to Shunsui for a minute."

Nanao thought she saw an annoyed look flash across his face, but she couldn't quite catch it. The two shared a look for a moment before he nodded his head and walked towards the door. He and Yukio bowed before exiting, leaving the three alone.

"What was that all about?" Apparently Shunsui noticed that look too.

"What do you think of him?" It was an honest question with no hint of humor behind it.

"Well, he seems okay. My Nanao-chan didn't light him on fire, so he must have acted appropriately." He flashed her a grin. "What does Izuru think?"

The captain thought for a moment before responding. "Well...Izuru and I have talked about it, but I can truthfully say that he has a large _disdain_, for lack of a better word, of this one. I don't quite understand it."

"How so, Captain?" Nanao was also curious, having her suspicion of the annoyance confirmed.

"He says there's something not right about him, that he's too nice. I don't know, it could be something else entirely too. It might be that on the very first day he met me, he attempted to flirt. He didn't know that I don't like overly sweet guys. Izuru wasn't too happy about it, but I guess that's just how big brother types are, overprotective and all."

She gazed at the door, not knowing how her lieutenant was fairing. "I feel bad about making him look after him for a bit, but I figured I could use this opportunity to chat without prying ears."

"He didn't seem to upset when we were talking. He even talked to the guy for a bit." Shunsui was observant, just like she thought. That was one reason she brought him here.

"He's playing the roll. He doesn't really want to. He's doing it for me, knowing I'll get some of the blame if something breaks out." She sighed, thinking of a conversation they had. All were silent for a minute.

"I don't think he's jealous." They both looked over to Nanao, who had spoken up.

"Why not, Nanao-chan? It would be perfectly normal, even if it's like a brother-sister thing."

"Because he's not like that to hold grudges on something so stupid." She crossed her arms after readjusting her glasses.

"I agree with you." Ivy nodded her head after saying it. "It definitely isn't like him. He doesn't get worked up over nothing. I trust his opinion completely, so I agree with him about almost everything, like being too nice. Something doesn't really feel right...but as a captain, I'm obligated to show kindness until he does something foolish. I worry about Izuru though. I haven't seen him so upset since..."

She drifted off, the other two knowing exactly what she was talking about. They tended to avoid talking about the betrayal, especially around him. Although everyone had taken it hard, it wasn't easy losing someone you served under for so long.

"Do you know why else he could be upset?" Shunsui was unable to figure it out either, although he knew it must be something simple.

"Well, there was talk of promoting him to be a seated officer right away. They were directly talking about replacing my third seat, which I'm not happy about, but they indirectly were talking about a lieutenant's spot."

Both of the Eighth officer's eyes widened. "He's that good?"

"I don't know that either. I haven't seen him in action yet. His demonstration is at the end of this week. There really isn't a lieutenant's position available, even for Jushiro, because his two third seats run things pretty smoothly. Because they've pretty much predetermined that he'll be in the Third, there is gossip that they want to replace Izuru."

Nanao hid the gasp she wanted to let out. They couldn't just do that with a new recruit, could they?

"That's not right." She stated it evenly, getting her temper in check. "Even if he is very skilled like they say, there's no way they can promote a new soul reaper to such an important position so early. That would be irresponsible."

They all nodded their heads in agreement, trying to find the logic behind it all.

"What do you think of it? Would they really demote him?"

"Over my shattered zanpakuto. Even then, I'll pick up Makenshi's shards and fend them off with that."

Her tone was bitter, her hands curling into fists. They had worked hard to build up the team they had now. This well-planned system was not going to be broken by a gifted stranger. Besides, Izuru was a close friend of hers, one that she would like to stick around. Sure she had to play nice, but she didn't have to like it.

Nanao sensed the tension and did her best to lessen it. "From what I've seen so far, he seems somewhat organized and reserved, but I don't think that quite makes the cut for lieutenant. We would have too many otherwise, I believe."

"Yare, Nanao's right. I know none of us have much say in what Old Man Yamma and the Central 46 declare, but you could bring up a good case if you wanted to stop the promotion. I don't think they would just leave Izuru's skills like that."

Ivy sighed and put a hand up to her head. "They better not. We just got things figured out." She sighed again. "I guess we'll see at the demonstration. Who knows, for all his sweet talking, maybe he's not as good as he claims."

They nodded again, feeling the slight anticipation. They were already starting to be skeptical about the whole ordeal.

She turned to go but suddenly stopped, remembering something.

"Oh, he might be spending some more time here."

"Why is that?" Nanao didn't bother to hide her disappointment.

"It's more of that mingling business. If he seems better suited to somewhere else, they're going to ship him off there. They recommended him spending time in each division to get to know the heads." She chuckled a little. "I told them to send him to Eleventh first. Then we'll see what he's really made of."

The other two laughed a little before the Third captain took her leave. Their discussion had been strange, not really knowing what this new soul reaper was all about.

"So what do you think, Nanao?" Once in a while he dropped the suffix on her name. He got used to calling her by her real name sometimes.

"I can't really say yet. He was polite and tactful, for the most part. He doesn't seem so bad right now, although Izuru's and Captain Giahara's information is a bit troubling. It really isn't like Izuru to get upset over nothing." He agreed. "But even if that's the case, unless they want him to replace me, it's not really any of our business."

His eyebrows creased at the thought. What nerve would they presume to have.

She continued. "If that was the case, they would find that Captain Giahara is not the only one fully prepared to defend a position."

"They'd have to get through me too." They shared an understanding look. She was not going anywhere if she could help it.

"We'll just have to be careful for a while, that's all." She stretched a little, daring to show a little more than her usual strict self. "I'm almost done for the day. Would you like to go visit Captain Ukitake after?"

How she always found that right balance, he'd never know. It didn't matter though, it just made him love her all the more.

"Of course, Nanao-chan. What a wonderful idea."

-End of part three


	4. A Friend's Insight

A/N: Well, I'm kinda bummed that I can't stay up super late because I have to work in the morning. Oh well, I'll just let my imagination run wild while I'm there. Thanks to all who have read/reviewed/alerted/favorited so far, you guys rock! And see? I told you I would work on the length thing, this one's longer. So much for the 3-5 chapters I had planned on...Oh well, at least it keeps me busy. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

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Chapter Four: A Friend's Insight

It was almost the end of the day at the office for Izuru. Because of their new babysitting job, the workload for them had lessened slightly, leaving them with more time to tend to other things. His captain had just stepped out for a moment, needed to help the fifth seat with something. He really wanted to get away from his new charge, finding that he desperately wanted a drink.

He had taken Yukio back to the division on Ivy's request. That was the only real reason why he did it. Whatever she wanted to talk to them about must have been important because she already knew of his deep dislike for the man sitting across the room from him.

When they got back, he busied himself by showing Yukio around the division some. He showed him the barracks, the mess hall, and the offices, lightly explaining what duties they did on a regular basis. He didn't particularly want him to join their division, but the world didn't happen how he liked it, so he figured it would save them time later if he did stay there. Captain Giahara complimented on his thoughtfulness, so he didn't really mind. He wanted to do a good job, if nothing else.

A voice brought him out of his thoughts and into the present. Apparently, Yukio was going to try and start a meaningful conversation with him. They had been here for the last half of the day, Yukio just watching Ivy and Izuru work.

"So, that Lieutenant of Captain Kyouraku's, Nanao I think, she's got the most interesting eyes. They hold a look of deep intelligence, like she could tell you everything about your soul from one glance."

All of a sudden, Izuru didn't like where this was going.

"She's quite the catch, I think. Beautiful."

Izuru definitely didn't like this. Yukio had that adoring look in his eyes, like he was having a daydream. The sight of it sickened him for some reason.

"You might want to hold your tongue if you want to keep it." Yukio looked up from his daze. "She is with Captain Kyouraku. I suggest that you remember it."

Suddenly, whether or not he knew this information didn't matter much to him. With a scowl on his face, he swept towards the door, sliding past a puzzled Ivy Giahara, who had just returned.

"Izuru, what's the matter?"

She watched him move past, not stopping to acknowledge her. That was odd. She turned back to Yukio, giving him a questioning glance. He only shrugged his shoulders at her, then looked out the window. She would have to question him later.

XoXoXoX

Nanao found herself staring up at her ceiling again later that night. She had tried to go to sleep hours ago, but her mind just wouldn't leave her alone. She was thinking about all sorts of things, none of them very pleasant.

The dream she had the night before had sparked her mind into thinking deeper on the subject. As much as she didn't want to, she couldn't ignore it.

She knew hatred was a bit immature, even for good reasons, but she couldn't help but feel like that after everything that happened. Sure, Leiko had done many terrible things, but there was one event that stuck out vividly in her mind. It was the kind of thing that made her internally cringe every time she thought about it. It was a scar that gave her reason to scold herself.

It was true that Shunsui knew that Leiko had poisoned the dreams she had at night. He even knew that some of them were of her killing him off. That was the thing though, only _some_ of them were that way. It was the other ones she used to have that she didn't tell anyone about.

They always started out in the same way as the ones where Shunsui was slain. There was always a startled awakening form her, always the smell of smoke and flame. Seireitei would still be on fire, and she would always find herself traversing towards their office.

It was now that those other dreams changed up. Instead of going in to find her captain bloody on the ground, there would be no one. A part of her had always reminded herself that someone had been there in all the other ones. She would walk to the center of the room and stop, sensing for anything. There would only be the crackling of flame on wood.

Then, she would hear it.

Like it stepped out of a nightmare, a sinister voice would start speaking. At the time, she didn't know who the voice belonged to. This was before she had spoken to Leiko. To her horror, she would hear things that she had written in her book. Things that nobody but her were meant to hear.

A famous quote would be one of the poems he made for her.

You are the moon, and I am the sun.  
Complete is the day we're together as one.

It would be said in a sneering way, and then she would proceed to be ridiculed. The snake-like voice would laugh at her and tell her what a fool she was. It would speak of how Shunsui probably told that to anyone he had ever chased, not really meaning it. It would say she was just another woman to check off the list.

As much as she didn't want to, a small part of her believed it at the time. It was very possible for this to be true. She knew he had the reputation to prove it. Still, she knew that his honesty and the trust she placed in him couldn't be written off as worthless. This is why she hated Leiko, but then again, maybe it was more directed towards herself.

She hated that she ever once doubted him.

It was like a wound, and every thought poured more salt onto it. After seeing how earnest and caring he had been towards her, like he always was, drove every negative thought from her mind. The fact that she ever thought him to be as shallow as others said sent pain through her. She didn't know how anyone so thoughtful and gentle could be like that. Setting it aside for now, she slid a little closer to him, reassuring herself that it didn't need to be thought of anymore.

That led her to the other thing on her mind.

On a different note, she also thought about the new supposed addition to the Third. Neither Izuru or Captain Giahara seemed to be very pleased about it. She understood Ivy's arguments enough to know why she would be upset, but Izuru puzzled her. For usually being able to figure people out, she was totally at a loss.

She didn't think there was much wrong with him. He had lasted her five minute first impression, and she was happy to find that she didn't have to set him on fire for being an idiot. She couldn't count how many others she'd done that to, all of which she'd been introduced to on Rangiku's insistence. Maybe she was actually right about this one, even though it was no longer for romantic purposes.

He seemed respectable for the most part. He had answered questions with intelligence, if not a little pride mixed in with his responses. Surely he must have worked hard to get this far so fast. He was polite, which earned points with her, and judging from what she took in from him, he seemed to be responsible enough to fit in with the rest of them.

She did not, however, think he should be promoted to a seated officer so fast. In order to be any sort of important officer, Nanao believed that there had to be trust. It wasn't the same sort of trust that others thought though. It was a different kind, one that could only exist between a captain and a lieutenant or any other officer. It was kind of like knowing exactly what was expected from each other, never doubting decisions either made.

It took a long time to build up this trust. She could vouch for that one personally. It had taken her a while to fully trust her captain as she did. She supposed it had worked both ways. At first she didn't know what to think about his flirtatious behavior. She learned though, that he was honest in everything that he did, and that she would find no better place to declare her loyalty to. It would take more than just being a prodigy to understand that kind of bond.

That was something that had to be earned through merit, not prestige.

Well, she guess they would see what he was worth very soon. Later this week he would be joining them for a day or two. They would see then if he could keep up. Deciding that she had had enough thinking for the night, she turned over to her side so she could lay on Shunsui's chest. She smiled as his arm came instinctively around her, closing her eyes and forcing her mind to slow.

XoXoXoX

Rangiku twisted the bottle she held in her hand, looking over to her companions. They had joined together for a friendly drink. Shuuhei and Renji were having their own conversation on the other side of the table, while Izuru sat to her right. He didn't look too well, now that she thought about it. It seemed that he was brooding over something.

That reminded her of a conversation she had earlier. About an hour and a half ago, she had stopped by the Third to see if Izuru wanted to join her and the other two. She only met Captain Giahara at the office though, and when she offered her the same invitation, she politely refused.

When she found her, she had been sitting alone in the office, looking pensive. The lights were dim, and she didn't seem to be paying much attention. Rangiku's greeting had awoken her from the daze. When she asked what was wrong, Ivy just smiled and said nothing. On further prodding, she finally admitted that she was worried about Izuru. Then, she told her the unraveling of events.

With a promise to find out what was the matter with him, she set out to find him. She did, and now here they sat.

Izuru was fully aware that Rangiku was looking at him. He'd felt so out of it lately, ever since Yukio Otori had come to the Seireitei. Alright, he was going to find out what it was.

"Yes, Rangiku?"

She laughed a bit uneasily and rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed for getting caught while staring.

"Oh, you looked sort of dazed, that's all. Just making sure you're okay." He raised his eyebrow at her.

"I thought that was the whole point of drinking in the first place?"

"Oh, so it is." She thought for a moment, before going slightly serious. "But really, are you okay? I'm not the only one that's noticed. Ivy's a bit concerned too. She's worried."

Captain Giahara was on a first name basis with a lot of people, not being one for all the formalities. Although it wasn't to everyone, she insisted that all the captains and vice-captains call her by her first name. It was nice that she felt comfortable enough with all of them to do so, but he still personally liked showing his respect in as many ways as he could. Then again, she was working on that.

He sighed a bit. It was hard to keep anything from Rangiku when she looked at people like that.

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about that new guy, Yukio. It's been nothing but a pain."

She had an understanding look. That's what she figured. "I thought so. I don't really get why you don't like him so much. He seemed okay. I mean, Nanao didn't barbeque him, and that's a first. I could've gotten something right this time."

She laughed a bit after he shrugged his shoulders, both returning to their drinks. There were many reasons why he didn't like the guy, but one he wasn't about to share with her. In general, he didn't like Yukio's attitude. He was just too nice for his own good. He could feel something out of place.

Secondly, he didn't like the way that he flirted with his captain. It was the same when he mentioned Nanao. He held that same glint in his eye, the one that seemed he looked at them like pieces of meat or something. That unnerved him more than anything. In all his years, he never felt women deserving to be treated that way, let alone one of his friends. Yukio never mentioned this sort of thinking, but Izuru was positive that the look in his eye meant exactly that.

He wasn't too concerned about being replaced as lieutenant, but he was still slightly nervous about his demonstration coming up. If anything, he was prepared to use Wabisuke to defend his position that he rightfully earned.

The real reason he would never tell Rangiku. It was why he felt uneasy, and it was why he instantly didn't like him. If his captain asked, he might tell her, but it didn't know how Rangiku would take to it. As far as he was concerned, she didn't need the thought to be planted in her head again. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really want to tell his captain either. She had enough on her mind too.

No, Rangiku had already gotten over all the negative thoughts and feelings they all went through. He watched her break down from it on days she couldn't hold up that face of stone. He watched it eat part of her soul. He decided that she had been through enough.

That's why Izuru couldn't bring himself to tell her that the main reason he didn't like Yukio, was because he reminded him of Gin Ichimaru.

-End of part four


	5. The Downside Of Eavesdropping

A/N: Okay, here's more from me. I took a little longer than I wanted to coming out with this part even though it was only a day, but I worked so it left time for little else. Not much to say about this one execept that...I'm sorry. I'm aplogizing in advance for...nevermind, I'm just sorry. I think this is the sweetest one so far though, just because it's a little complex. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

* * *

Chapter Five: The Downside Of Eavesdropping

Nanao now sat working in her office. Her captain was present for once, along with one Yukio Otori, who had been scheduled to work with them today. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, but there was an uncomfortable silence in the air today. At least, that's how Nanao would describe it, being very uncomfortable with the other person in the room.

She was a little impressed though, because he had offered to help her with her work. This caused an eyebrow raise from Shunsui, who had been pretending to sleep in the corner. Nanao thought that he might offer to help himself in retaliation, but none such offer came. She politely declined Yukio's offer, saying that it was division things that he wouldn't know how to deal with.

Later, it was close to the time when Yukio was supposed to go report back to the Third, which had become his main dwelling place for now. They had all gotten up to see him out, being the hospitable thing to do.

"Yare, so Yukio, your demonstration is tomorrow right?"

"Yes, sir. Can I hope that you two will be there to observe?" A good-natured question.

"Of course. We'll be rooting for you, won't we, Nanao-chan?"

She nodded her head. "Of course."

At this, Yukio smiled, more at her than him really. "Well that's a relief. I shall most definitely do my best then. Good evening."

With that, he took his leave, leaving the other two to finish up. That was two days ago.

Presently, Nanao was much the same, sitting at her desk pondering things. The Demonstration for Yukio was supposed to be today, but by some miraculous feat, they decided to cancel it. Nanao figured it was because they were busy or something else was going on, but when she investigated further, she found that it was just because they didn't want to hold one.

She asked Yukio about this, but he had no answer for her, just stated that he must be awfully lucky. They had told him nothing but the fact that they thought he didn't need to go through a demonstration to be placed. The crazy thing was, they were still talking about an officers spot, a lieutenant in particular. She didn't know how they could do that without a demonstration, so when she was really supposed to be filling out forms, her mind was drifting.

That wasn't the most amazing thing though. There was something else she thought of when she was watching out the window, reminded of it when she heard a loud crash from a division member outside. According to Izuru, who had been strangely talkative to them lately, Yukio had been assigned to the Eleventh yesterday.

When Ivy had said Eleventh would prove if he was worth anything or not, she was right. They _always_ wanted to fight, to test out each others' strength. That was what puzzled Nanao. Surely they would want to fight him because no one knew what he could do. From Yumichika to Rangiku to her, she found out that Kenpachi had indeed challenged him, wanting to see if he was weak or not.

It's common knowledge that Captain Zaraki never backs down from a chance at a good fight. Apparently, after a few minutes in Yukio's company, Kenpachi backed out, saying he had more important things to do. She still remembered the open mouthed gape she gave Rangiku when this information was told to her. It was like Shunsui getting rid of his haori or giving up sake altogether.

It simply wasn't done.

His division members were just as surprised as she was. They tried all day to find out why Kenpachi didn't just thrash him and get it over with, but when they asked him, he couldn't remember ever challenging someone so worthless as him. Okay, so maybe it was a viable answer, and sometimes his memory was like Yachiru's sense of direction, but still. The members were so baffled, that none of them bothered to challenge Yukio either, which would've solved their problem.

As it was, no one knew what he could really do yet. This fact bothered Nanao a little, having most of the officer's abilities engraved into her memory for strategy purposes. She had half a mind to challenge him herself, but he would probably refuse and come back with something along the lines of not wanting to hurt her. Strangely, the voice sounded like Shunsui's. She supposed that they were similar in that aspect.

A sharp crack from another chair brought her back to reality. Looking up with a snap, she ran into the apology of the other person in the room.

"My apologies, Lieutenant Ise, if I distracted you."

She looked over to him, sitting at the captain's desk by Shunsui's insistence. It's not like he used it much anyway.

"That's alright. I was just thinking."

She put a form in the completed stack and grabbed another one. Shunsui had stepped out for a minute, saying he had something to take care of. It probably involved sake, so Nanao didn't really want to know. She continued her working process for another ten minutes until Yukio spoke up again.

"Say, Lieutenant Ise, can I ask you a question?"

Stopping what she was doing, she set her pen down and looked over to him, giving her full attention.

"Sure." If this worked out, she had a few questions of her own for him, like about the Eleventh.

"Why are you here?"

Okay, that was an odd question to be asking.

"Pardon me?"

"I mean like here, doing all the work. You practically run the division. I've only been here for a few days, but I can already tell. Does Captain Kyouraku do anything?"

Nanao bristled at the comment. How dare he insult him that way. She had a few choice words in mind for retaliation, none of them kind, but she kept them back. It probably wouldn't do any good to start an argument, especially when it was her job to keep things running smoothly, no matter the situation. Still, he had a point kind of.

"I would suggest that you hold your tongue when you speak lowly of a captain, especially one so revered as Shunsui."

She almost bit her lip when she said it, calling him by such an unprofessional title while around others, even worse when it was a lower (at least for now) soul reaper. He did insult Shunsui on a personal level though, so Nanao felt it her duty to defend him as a human being capable of making mistakes, and if nothing else, her lover. She just hoped that Yukio wouldn't comment on it.

He did things when it was required of him. He didn't need to bother himself with other things, even though it _would_ be helpful sometimes (knowing that he did help out once in a while helped). That's why they kept people like her around, to do the 'other stuff'.

Then again, it was his job to run the division. She was pretty sure it would fall apart without her keeping up with the paperwork.

He sighed, meeting the intense glare she was giving him. "Maybe that's the problem, he's too well-known. He knows the Captain Commander wouldn't punish him for anything he did, so he can get away with practically anything. With all the energy you put into the division, they should just make you the Captain."

She couldn't argue with that really. She did do a lot of work, but all of it was by choice. She _wanted_ to be here. There was no question to it. There was no other place she'd rather be, both professionally and personally.

"If you were Captain, then you would really get things done. Then again, you would need a lieutenant that could keep up with you, something I doubt Captain Kyouraku could handle. Has he ever done a piece of paperwork? I wonder. I don't think they would demote him that far though, so he would have to be transferred for it to work."

What exactly was he implying? He wanted her to be a captain for what reason? She was going to comment, but he continued.

"But I also doubt that he would let anyone keep up with you, if you catch my drift. I could see him killing anyone that so much as looked at you the wrong way, based on his judgment of course. It's almost scary. I think you can do better than someone who exploits you like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She was positively irate by now. Insulting his work ethic was one thing, easily defendable, but insulting his honor was another. Yukio made it sound like he was just using her. Knowing him for many years even before she started returning his affection, she knew he wasn't anything like that. Furthermore, he made it sound like she was stupid for being with him.

"I just think you deserve better than what you settle for."

"Like who? Someone like you?"

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."

He kept eye contact with her, like none of this bothered him at all. Maybe he thought he was doing justice. The thought made Nanao laugh in her mind. She was still glaring at him, but she was starting to fell kind of funny. Maybe this was upsetting her more than she let herself admit.

"I think you should cease with such ridiculous slander before I fill out the form for harassment. Based on your assumptions, I should know exactly what one it is."

Or not. She was probably fully voicing how much it bothered her, now that she thought about it.

"Is he afraid of a little competition?"

He asked it innocently, but she would argue with anyone who said he was. She was beginning to think that maybe Izuru was right, and that they should all steer clear. Maybe she should have set him on fire. It wouldn't be too bad of an idea now right? Oh, but then she would probably face charges. The courts probably wouldn't be in her favor either, seeing nothing wrong with a little flirting on his behalf.

She stood up and gritted her teeth, straining hard to make her next words extremely audible.

"There is _no_ competition."

The flame that teased her fingertips wanted to bad to ignite, to teach him a lesson that would not be soon to fade away. She kept it in check though, if only for the sake of how much trouble it would cause for bother her and Shunsui. The rest would probably bring up that their relationship got in the way with running the division if she charred and he threatened any man who flirted with her.

She stalked over to the window, not looking at him. Instead, she chose to glare at the cherry blossoms she saw. Were they mocking her? Did every little thing have to get in the way for them? It took so long to make it this far, and she was just getting comfortable with it. She would not let something like this change things.

"I think you're due to be heading out."

He took the hint, getting up. "Indeed I am. The Thirteenth will be expecting me soon. Have a good afternoon, _Lieutenant _Ise. Good luck."

He took his leave soon after, leaving Nanao to her thoughts.

XoXoXoX

She couldn't take it anymore. How could anyone be so infuriating? How dare he say those things. She sat fuming in the office, only she wasn't sitting, she was pacing enough to wear holes in the floor. This is the reason that people shouldn't think, she thought. She got too riled up by it.

And were was Shunsui? He'd been gone over an hour. He probably got sidetracked from his original mission and decided to take a nap somewhere. It was the middle of the day.

She could really use the soothing effects he had on her right now. Actually, she wouldn't mind anything that took her mind off of this. She felt like she was going to explode, all over some stupid comments by someone who didn't know anything about her. Some papers had already tasted the effects of her wrath, ending up as smoking embers on the floor.

Waiting another five minutes, she suddenly stopped. Okay, this was it. If he wasn't coming into the office, she was going to find him.

XoXoXoX

She spent the next twenty minutes visiting all the napping spots that she knew him to occupy on a regular basis. He wasn't on the roof, under the grove of sakura trees next to their office or any of the others, he wasn't on any of the benches in sight, and no one had seen him since that morning.

She was getting more agitated by the minute, but was relieved when she saw a flash of pink and a familiar energy in one of the skewed alleyways in this area. From the sounds of it, he was talking to someone. She got closer and hid her reiatsu, trying to figure out who and what he was talking about.

She wasn't usually a snoop, but she was slightly intrigued to see what was going on. She got closer, peering around the edge of the building and into the alley.

It was in the next instant that she wished she wouldn't have. On the far side, she found that Shunsui was in the alley with some woman.

And they were kissing.

-End of part five

* * *

Yes, this is what I was apologizing for. First I don't stick to my 'one update a day' plan, and then I find a nice big cliff to throw you off of. Sorry...I really am...You don't know how hard it was to write that...

In an effort to make amends, I'm going to start on the next one right away.

(whispers) Please don't send hate mail...

-KG


	6. The Calm Before The Storm

A/N: Well, I really don't have anything else to say except here's the next part. (Throws a rope down the edge of the cliff.) There, taht should help a bit. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

* * *

Chapter Six: The Calm Before The Storm

For once, Shunsui could honestly say he didn't know what was going on. He was running errands all over Seireitei, and now the next thing he knew, some woman was kissing him. This woman was not his Nanao-chan, therefore, he didn't approve one bit. Shoving her away rather brashly, he stepped back and put his hand to his forehead, wondering what the heck just happened.

Pushing her may have been a little harsh, but at this moment in time he really didn't care. She had asked for help with something, and then when he, being the gentleman he was, came over to help, she jumped him. Great, this is just his day.

The woman, he noticed, was someone he recognized from the Thirteenth Division. That was also odd, because he was nowhere near there presently. Not that it was odd for soul reapers to be going other places, but being in a side alley in the middle of the day far away from your division was.

He took in the sight of her, her brownish hair waving lightly as she staggered back from the pushed. Now that he looked at her, she looked a little disoriented, like she hadn't done what she just had. Looking strangely at him, she spoke up.

"Captain Kyouraku? What am I doing here?" She still held that dazed look.

"I think you're needed in your division."

"Oh, right. Thank you Captain Kyouraku. I'll be going now."

She had no idea what just went on. Maybe that was for the better, he thought. There wasn't much use in explaining things and just confusing her further. He was definitely not having a good day already, and this wasn't adding anything good to the mix. Nanao wasn't in a very good mood because they had some extra work lately.

There was also the fact that Yukio was supposed to spend the morning with them, watching them work. Nanao didn't like to be watched, he knew that one for a fact. She could always feel when eyes were on her, and she told him once that it was very distracting. Then again, that could've just been _his_ eyes, but he wasn't going to question it.

That was another thing. What would Nanao think of this whole incident? It was a misunderstanding and he hadn't meant it to happen, but he didn't know if she would see things the same way. He instantly felt disappointed in himself. Even if it was an accident, he still promised her that she would be the only one, ever.

He knew he should probably tell her about it. That would be the logical thing to do, but then when he thought of the hurt look that her face would hold, and how it would pull at her heartstrings, he thought that maybe this time the phrase 'what you don't know won't hurt you' would be acceptable.

Still, that didn't take away the slight guilt he was feeling. He would have to make up for it by a long shot. Maybe he could offer to do some of the work? That usually brightened up her mood on a busy day. Thinking on the current issue though, Shunsui thought that he just might be doing paperwork for a long time to make up for this.

Heaving a deep sigh, he flashed towards the office, only partly ready to face his Nanao-chan. What would've happened if he knew she was standing not thirty feet from him?

XoXoXoX

Nanao couldn't believe what was going on. Every logical part of her was screaming that this couldn't possibly be what it looked like. He would never do something so low as to _cheat_ on her would he? She backed up against the wall, hand to her head, trying to figure out some logical explanation for this.

She saw him push her away, saw the strange look that the woman gave him, and watched him leave. She was still trying to get her heart to stop beating so fast, although it wasn't in the good way. If any one of her fears would come true, she hoped that this one would not. She really wanted to believe that this wasn't what it seemed.

A side of her cringed at the thought. This side got angry at whoever this other person was. She wanted to devour the said woman with a douse of her flames. That's how angry she was. She was ready to lunge. She could feel the heat rise to her fingers again, just like before with Yukio. Maybe it was just the day. It had started alright. She didn't know how it came to this.

The other side of her was depressed. What if her greatest fear had come true? What if it really was how it seemed? She almost couldn't believe it, but there was a small, nagging voice in the back of her mind yelling 'I told you so'. It was one of the reasons she'd been so hesitant in the first place, after all. She didn't want to be last week's news, or last year's, if it really was true.

She slid down the wall to the ground, not really knowing what to do. For once, she couldn't think at all, her mind was totally blank. Sure, she wanted a reprieve form Yukio and all he said, but she didn't want this.

Faintly, she wondered if this is what heartbreak felt like, a tear rolling off her cheek onto the ground below her.

XoXoXoX

"Shunsui, you look worn. What's the matter?"

A not-so-well-off Shunsui sat in the Third Division sharing a drink with Captain Giahara and Izuru. Working a bit didn't help him out much. He returned to the office to find Nanao gone. This should have been comforting to him, but right now he really just wanted to hold her tight and take in the smell of her hair.

"Yare, I suppose I will be soon, Ivy. Don't worry about it."

His bluff didn't fool either of them for an instant, but in his current state, they knew better than to prod any further. They doubted even Ukitake would be able to get anything more from him.

"Did Yukio visit your division today?" Izuru was loosened up a little.

"He was, but he must have left. They both were gone when I came back, and neither returned while I was there."

"Nanao didn't come back?"

"You left her alone with him?"

Ivy's question when unanswered as Izuru's worried tone broke through interrupting it. Obviously he thought that it was a terrible idea. He had shared that Nanao had been nowhere to be seen all afternoon. He was a little worried, naturally, but if it was an emergency she would've sent notice. There could've been something she had to take care of.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well...no, but," His frown stayed in place. "I guess she is fully capable of taking care of herself. I just...don't trust him."

They all stayed quiet while his words sunk in. Sure, he was new, but being new and being flat-out not trusted were two different things.

"He is a little strange, but other than that, there's not any solid evidence to go on. Everyone's a little strange, but maybe we're all just acting this way because we don't know what his strengths are yet. I can't believe they cancelled the demonstration."

"I don't think strange is the right word." Izuru's scowl got deeper. Ignoring him a little, Shunsui continued.

"I heard about the Kenpachi thing too. That was odd. He's not one to turn down a fight, especially when he's the one who initiates it. Wonder why he did it. Everyone's been curious about Yukio's abilities."

"Maybe he poisons people to act in opposite ways."

They were all quiet again for some time. Ivy was watching Izuru, who had not stopped frowning since Shunsui mentioned that Yukio had been alone with Nanao. What was with him? This was starting to really worry her.

Izuru waited a minute more before exhaling a big breath of air. "Do you want to know why I don't like him?" They inclined their heads like he knew they would. He didn't really want to share this, but at least Rangiku wasn't here. He too had been broken over Gin's betrayal for some time, but he let it pass quicker than she did.

"I don't know why, but he reminds me of Gin." He felt Ivy stiffen at the mention of the name. Old scars, no matter how long ago they were, could still be wounds. "He's not one to be trusted."

XoXoXoX

For the last couple hours, the only thing Nanao did was wander around. The sun was starting to set, the fading orange rays dipping below the roofs of the division buildings. While walking, she'd been in a daze. She just now realized that she was a bit tired.

There was a fountain in the deserted walkway she was in, so she decided that a little rest couldn't hurt. She was somewhere near the Tenth Division. Nobody was around at this time of day, at least not over here. Most would have already gone home for the night, the rest still working away, like where she should be right now. She sat down on the edge, peering into the water to look at herself.

In her opinion, she looked terrible.

There was nothing really wrong with her appearance, other than a few flecks of dust on her uniform and a few hairs that fell out of her bun, but she couldn't stand the look in her eyes. It was something that anyone who knew her well could tell. They were usually bright and violet, an unusual color for eyes. Now they were dull, devoid of life.

In short, she was depressed. That rarely ever happened. What could she do now? Other times she got like this, Shunsui was always there to help pick her mood up. What was she going to do when he was the reason she was like this? She probably should go back to the office because he was bound to be worried, but she didn't know if she could face him right now. He might try to explain to her if he thought it appropriate, even though he didn't know that she saw. If he did, she didn't really want to deal with it at this moment in time.

The sound of footfalls on the path caused her to look up. Oh, great. Exactly the person she didn't want to see.

Yukio Otori.

"What do you want?"

She almost sounded like a wounded animal in the way she responded, all defensive right away. She really didn't care though. She did _not _want to deal with this right now. She didn't know if she could handle any more taunts or snooty remarks from him. She just might light him up, despite how much trouble it could cause.

He put his hands out in front of him, like she was going to attack him.

"Easy. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

She snorted a little bit. Right. Sure he was.

"Can I sit down?"

"I suppose." She really didn't care anymore. What else could go wrong?

"Are you okay? I heard about what happened with your captain."

"How do you know about that?" She glared at him. The warning buzzers went off in her head.

"He was at the Thirteenth Division talking to Captain Ukitake. He was worried because you weren't in the office all day." He laughed curtly. "There was still paperwork sitting on your desk. Is that all he needs you for?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head slowly. "I don't know."

Her spirit dropped again. It would've been so much easier if there was just someone to blame other than him. She was suspicious of Yukio at first because he knew, but if Shunsui had talked to Ukitake, it made sense that he might overhear. He was in the Thirteenth that afternoon.

They sat quietly for a few minutes before he put a hand on her arm. She just kept looking straight ahead, not really focusing on anything. True, she wanted someone to comfort her, and at this point she really didn't care who it happened to be.

"It'll be okay I think. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it. If anything else, I think it was really wrong for him to hurt you like that."

His hand moved to hers. She looked at him, puzzled by his sudden act of kindness. He wasn't so nice in the office earlier. She noticed now that his eyes were a soft blue color. It reminded her of the sky. He was getting closer, she realized, and to her horror, she felt herself move slightly.

Then, an explosion was heard.

They pulled away quickly, Nanao realizing what was about to happen. The explosion rattled the streets, rumbling not too far away. She wondered what may have happened. It was probably something in the Twelfth Division gone wrong.

She got up, suddenly not wanting to be here. Yukio got up as well.

"I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened. I apologize if I offended you. I'll take my leave now. Farewell, Lieutenant Ise."

She was stunned for a minute. What was she just about to do? Her body shook for a moment out of her control, and if she wasn't out of it so much, she might've cried out in exasperation. Then, if to add to her troubles, Rangiku appeared with a frown on her face. Okay, so she was wrong before. The day _could_ get worse.

"Please tell me that's not what it looked like." Rangiku even sounded sad.

"I...I don't know what's going on anymore..."

"How could you do something like that to Shunsui? What's the matter with you lately?"

Nanao just looked towards the ground. What was happening? As of a few days ago, everything had been fine. Why had that changed? Now she felt guilty along with her sadness. If the gods looked down on her, they were probably laughing now.

Rangiku was saying some other things now, but Nanao was only half listening to her, too lost in her own thoughts. She really didn't know if she should listen anyway. She knew it wouldn't have made things any better even if it did happen. Two wrongs didn't make a right, but Rangiku didn't see what she saw.

She had no idea.

-End of part six


	7. And It Just Keeps Getting Better

A/N: Well, the road to getting here was quite strange. My computer was acting up and freezing a bunch, so I had to create the majority of this part the old-fashioned way, by writing it out. Nevertheless, it's still here. This one is now my favorite chapter, although I'm probably going to like the next one just as much. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

* * *

Chapter Seven: And It Just Keeps Getting Better

Rangiku had left Nanao alone to the daunting task of thinking once she thought she'd spoken enough. She had tried her best to defend herself and said that it wasn't what it looked like and she wouldn't ever do such a thing, but Rangiku had looked unimpressed. She mentioned something about talking to Shunsui so that they could straighten everything out. She wasn't sure what she meant exactly, but she promised to keep it in mind.

Nanao knew that her friend was upset, and she also knew that she had a good right to be. Shunsui was her good friend, it made sense that she didn't want to see anything bad happen to him. The thing was, she didn't even do anything.

She already beat herself up enough about what she _could've _done if that explosion wouldn't have gone off. It wasn't right, whatever it was. She didn't want to think about it. She felt so unlike herself it wasn't funny. She never wanted to hurt him, ever. She would die before she did anything so ruthless intentionally.

But what about her? She didn't tell Rangiku what she had seen earlier. That would've just provoked more questions from her. What had he done? Had he even done anything? She was going to find out eventually, maybe even tonight. That's where she was headed now, back to the office.

She found the walk rather long, even though she was close. Maybe it was just her mood, it had been unfavorable all day. A part of her dreaded what could come of tonight. Well, she would just have to see.

Her steps were heavier than they usually were on the wooden walkway, sandals making a thudding sound against it. The sun had fully set now, casting everything in shadow. She could see the light on in the office now, partly wondering what Shunsui was still doing there.

She sighed. Maybe Rangiku was right. Maybe they did just need to talk. It would probably make her feel better in the end. Then again, she thought differently for a minute. What would he say? Would he be disappointed in her because of what she almost did? If that was the case, she didn't think she could handle it.

Nearing the door, she confirmed the fact that he was there by feeling his reiatsu. Sliding the door open, she found him sitting at his desk, actually ...working? Oh, that's right. She left her work unfinished when she left. It was still an odd sight.

Hearing the door, he looked up and was instantly relieved. He must have been too wrapped up in finishing her work that he failed to sense her coming. He got up immediately and met her by the door.

"Nanao, are you okay? I was worried. None of us saw a trace of you past this morning."

She nodded her head, huffing out some air. "I'm fine. I was just taking care of some things. I'm sorry for just leaving you with the work today. I didn't really think about it."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. It's probably time I did some work around here anyway. That way, you don't have to do so much."

He got closer and wrapped her in a hug, enjoying that he finally got to hold her. He put his head on top of hers, just staying there. She didn't hesitate to hug back, wrapping her arms around him, enjoying his scent. Oh how she needed this right now.

They were both silent and motionless for a bit, and Nanao wondered if he was going to say anything about this afternoon. She stayed silent for a bit more, giving him the opportunity if he was going to. No such thing came, and she inwardly frowned. Was he just giving an act?

A part of her wanted to come out and say something. The other part wanted him to be the one admitting it. She realized that she also had something to tell, but in her eyes, it wasn't as severe as what happened with him. She wasn't the one that kissed someone else. Maybe it was for the better though, that he didn't say anything right now. She was dangerously flirting on the edge of a massive breakdown. She didn't know if she could handle all of what would follow it tonight.

"I'm going to Rangiku's tonight. She wanted to spend some time and catch up on things."

"Alright." He stepped away from her, taking in her features. Something was off about her. "Are you sure you're okay, Nanao?"

She looked up at him and nodded again. She needed a bit more time to think, that was it.

"Yes, thank you." She began to walk towards the door again, when she stopped to say something else. "You don't have to finish that if you don't want to. I can handle it in the morning. Goodnight, Shunsui."

"Goodnight, Nanao-chan."

She walked out the door, sliding it shut behind her, leaving him to his own thoughts. Well, at least she called him Shunsui, but he didn't quite like the way she said it. She rarely called him that in the office, but her tone was almost mournful. No, there was definitely something the matter, but he knew that she would come to him eventually. He knew pushing her never got anywhere.

Still, he wondered what could be bothering her. Then, his own situation rose up again. He should've told her about the Thirteenth member right away, but he didn't want to add anything to her already down mood. Tomorrow it was then. He would wait no longer than that. It looked like tonight was going to be spent alone at his home. Going over to his desk again, he decided that he would finish up here before he left.

As she walked away, Nanao wondered if he would know that she wasn't going to Rangiku's.

XoXoXoX

"Alright, is everyone accounted for? All except Captain Kyouraku and Lieutenant Ise? Good. We may begin."

All captains and lieutenants had been called for an urgent meeting, all except those from the Eighth. Also in attendance was Yukio Otori, brought in to see what was to be expected of him at any meetings he attended. Apparently, this was something that couldn't wait. Jushiro Ukitake was not pleased. He sat somewhat impatiently next to the other officers. Why was Shunsui and Nanao not present?

Chojiro Sasakibe, lieutenant of the First, was making the opening statements.

"The agenda for this meeting is the well-being of Lieutenant Ise. Her heath and ability to function correctly is supposedly being hindered in a negative way. It was brought to our attention that action should be taken against this."

Ukitake saw some of the other officers look at each other and shake their heads. He clearly knew what they thought of this.

"It is our duty to make sure that our top ranking officers are capable of supporting their divisions. It is what makes the Soul Society operate efficiently. We cannot ignore these concerns." He paused for a moment, to let it set in. "This is about the work ethic of Captain Shunsui Kyouraku."

Jushiro rolled his eyes slightly. If it would've been appropriate, he might have made a sound to further show his agitated mood. It seems others didn't have the same discretion, because a few of them started whispering among themselves. Out of his eye and across the room, he saw Ivy Giahara share the same look of restlessness as he had. She was whispering to Izuru and Rangiku. Next to him, he shared a look with Retsu. He knew she didn't think much of this either, even though she didn't say anything. He could see it in her eyes.

Surely this was just a waste of time. Nanao wasn't complaining, and if she was, she would bring it up with Shunsui himself. She didn't waste time with useless meetings and dragging others into it that didn't need to be. Even if she did, she would be the one running the meeting then.

He was about to think on who would've been stupid enough to bring this up, but General Yamamoto had spoken up.

"It is common knowledge that this particular topic has been known about for some time, but no actions have been taken on it. It hasn't been an issue before, but let us take it into consideration for the time being."

He paused for a moment before speaking, making sure he had all the attention in the room. All whispering had stopped.

"Since this concern was brought up by Yukio Otori, who is being reviewed for a high position among you, I shall let the group of you agree on what should be done about this. A majority agreement should suffice. I will return shortly to hear your verdict."

He left shortly after, leaving them to their own devices.

So that's who the culprit was, Ukitake thought. Well, maybe his opinion of the man is changing after all. He had heard from Shunsui what Izuru and Ivy thought about him, but he had said he was not going to judge off of their words alone and would evaluate him himself. Well, he felt his respect for the man dropping by the minute by every word that came out of his mouth. It was good that he was concerned for Nanao, but he was positive that Yukio did not get her consent for this. She never would have agreed.

He had stood up and began to give a few reasons why he called them here, but because of his thoughts, Jushiro wasn't really paying attention at first.

"-so Nanao has been the one to take on the brunt of running the division. This is not a lieutenant's job when a capable captain is available to lead. Maybe that's what the problem is. Perhaps Captain Kyouraku is no longer capable."

Well, they _had_ been getting along for the most part by taking turns talking. Unfortunately, this could no longer be the case. Jushiro felt the need to defend his friend. He shot up.

"Excuse me, but I don't see how you think you have the ground to judge our commanding officers' abilities. Shunsui has always been capable of running his own division for all the years I've known him."

Yukio turned to look at him. "Yes, it seems that is a problem too. Because you've known him so long, you turn a blind eye, letting him get away with it. I had requested that you, along with the Third and a few other close friends of his, to be left out of this discussion. I was denied this request, however."

He saw Ivy give Yukio a dirty look, sharing the same feelings as he did himself. What Yukio really wanted was less people in the way.

"So now you're insinuating that my judgment is corrupt?"

"If that's how you take it. This is for Nanao's sake. She should come first."

Jushiro didn't like the familiar tone he used with her name. He heard a short, one-syllable laugh come from the direction of the Tenth officers. There was a strained and hushed 'Matsumoto' also, signifying which one it had been. Yukio glared in that direction, and there was quiet laughter from the Third officers next to her. He saw Izuru just smile back at him. He was glad to see them on Shunsui's side.

Jushiro decided to continue before a fight broke out or something.

"Lieutenant Ise is fine. If she had any need for an intervention by us, she would have asked for it."

"You did not see her yesterday, she looked terrible. Besides, I think it's quite clear that Captain Kyouraku has her wrapped around his finger, so even if she wanted help, she wouldn't ask for it."

"You have no evidence to support any of that!"

Rangiku had suddenly stood up, much to her captain's dismay. She had had enough too.

"Matsumoto, sit down." Her captain tried to whisper an order, but she was having none of that.

"No. With all due respect Captain Hitsugaya, I'm not going to sit by while some nobody fresh from the Academy insults one of our own."

The more she saw of Yukio, the less she liked him. She would admit that she might've been wrong about him, especially after last night's escapade, the cad.

"And," She continued. "I don't think it's Shunsui who's doing the finger wrapping."

His lips curved upward in a slight smirk, one that didn't go unnoticed. "I would watch what you say, Lieutenant Matsumoto. You wouldn't want to get your captain in trouble."

At this, she fell silent. She didn't want to add any more trouble, but she couldn't just do nothing. Jushiro wondered where Yukio had come up with all of this. He thought all of it had to be made up. Shunsui may be lazy most of the time, even though he had improved a lot this past year, but he would never put any unnecessary strain on Nanao. She was his lover for crying out loud. He may be clueless sometimes, but he wasn't that dense.

Sitting down, he looked about the room. The others couldn't be buying this, could they? It was ridiculous. Sure, he may not be in the Eighth Division, but he didn't see anything wrong with them. He had not seen Nanao yesterday, but the day before she was fine. Rangiku had a point, where was his evidence besides his biased observations?

He rubbed his temples softly. He could feel a coughing fit working its way up, but he was determined to hold back until this was over. It was too important to miss. Since when had his head started pounding? This was more upsetting than it seemed.

He was going to say something, but then Unohana interjected from beside him.

"There has been nothing wrong with Lieutenant Ise when she comes to the Fourth. All officers have routine evaluations every few weeks. Last week there was nothing indicating a withering in her health or abilities. I have seen to it personally."

Everything got quiet after that. She didn't shout, she didn't even get up, but no one had the guts to challenge her authority on the matter. Retsu Unohana was a little strange in that way. She was kind, but feared at the same time. Her motherly instinct was a furthering of her kindness, but the smiles she gave sent off a chill, deterring anyone from wanting to disobey.

Yukio coughed a little. "But it might. It could start to wear on her very soon. I think it would be the responsible thing to stop it before it starts. I'm pretty sure that he's only getting to keep his position because he's one of the 'golden' students anyway."

If Jushiro had been any younger, he was pretty sure his mouth would have dropped open. How dare he? That was a low blow. Being the Captain Commander's students had nothing to do with Shunsui's inability to lead. If anything, you had to be all the more worthy of the position. He was going to say as much, but then realized that Yukio had started speaking again.

Then, Yukio proceeded to tell them all the reasons why Shunsui shouldn't be a captain, saying every duty he could think of that he neglected. He made sure to mention the explosion yesterday at the Eighth too, particularly pointing out how careless it was to leave stashes of sake in dangerous places. It was absurd. A storage building was not dangerous.

Furthermore, Shunsui wasn't ever there when it happened, so it's not like he set if off himself or something. He knew that for a fact. Shunsui was out looking for Nanao at that time, having came and asked him first. They were all making a really big deal out of it though.

He really couldn't believe it. One by one he watched people start to agree with Yukio. What had come over them? These couldn't be the same people he working with on a regular basis. Besides himself, there were only four others that stood on Shunsui's side. Among them were Rangiku, Ivy, Izuru, and Retsu. They had argued off and on with the others (all except Unohana of course, she just intervened when needed), trying to talk some sense into them. This wasn't anything that the Eighth couldn't handle by themselves.

Jushiro realized that five was not enough to discourage the plan they were forming. He could only watch as Lieutenant Sasakibe gave the report to General Yamamoto. From the looks of it, he wasn't too pleased with the outcome either. He had already decided to go with what they came up with though, so he could do little to change it. Besides, if it didn't work here, Yukio would probably just go to the Central 46. Then there _would_ be trouble.

He walked out of the First Division next to Unohana, looking downcast. He wasn't the only one. Looking up, he spotted a worried looking Shunsui waiting there. He wasn't looking at him though. Turning a bit, Jushiro looked back and saw who he was looking for as he spoke up.

"Rangiku, where's Nanao?"

-End of part seven

* * *

A/N: Yes, I hate Yukio too, the cad (XD). We all know he's a dirtball! I just thought I'd comment. -KG


	8. The Fateful Decision

A/N: Well, I had to switch computers to get this to work. Mine is on it's last legs I think. Oh well, it was time for me to upgrade anyway. Until I get a new one, I'll just have to use this one. I think I like the last chapter more than this one, but that's only because I couldn't put all I wanted to in this one or it would've been too long. I'll just save it for the next part. But on a different note, I have my tissue box at the ready. It's sitting next to me. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

* * *

Chapter Eight: The Fateful Decision

It was late afternoon, and Nanao was lying under the sun in a remote part of the Rukongai. It was an enclosed field with long wavy grass. When the wind blew through it, the blades rippled like waves on the ocean, the peaceful setting able to clear her mind. This was precisely what she was doing now. The last few days had been taxing, and she needed some time to settle things in her own mind before she dealt with new problems.

Sometimes she felt like she ran out too often. It was a common practice for most people, yes, but she thought herself able to handle what life threw at her. Apparently not anymore. She didn't really run out, but she felt like it. The reason for this was because she lied. She never liked lying to Shunsui, and she felt bad about it. She should've just told him that she wanted time to think, this she came up with while being out here.

Then again, he probably would've asked her what was bothering her, and then she would've had to explain things. Maybe it was better like this. It still bothered her though.

She knew she was well past the time she was supposed to be in the office. Shunsui was probably even there by now. A part of her didn't really care. Maybe that's the kind of attitude he had when he laid about napping. She had to admit, lying here under the warm sun and blue sky was very comfortable. Unfortunately, she wasn't getting much problem solving done because of this.

She wanted to think about it, but she also didn't want to at the same time. Every little thing she thought about brought her back to Shunsui, and she would inwardly cringe. Although that's what she was supposed to be thinking about, she found that it was very hard. She wondered if he was thinking about her now and if he was worried or not. She knew that he probably figured out by now that she wasn't at Rangiku's last night. He might've even looked for her, but she was trying her hardest to mask all her reiatsu. She didn't want to be found by anyone at the moment.

Would he be angry at her when she came back? She had no doubts about going back, of course. She still had work to do after all, and she couldn't avoid him forever. She was going to get to the root of everything, and in her current state of mind, the sooner that happened, the better.

She had stayed in her own house last night. Shunsui had gone to his last night after she said she would be staying at Rangiku's, so she didn't expect anyone else to come looking for her. It was there that she had tried to wind down, doing everything she thought of to relax. These methods comprised of soaking in warm water, consuming many pots of tea, and reading. She had been all set to conquer her problems today.

That had gone terrible though, and she was extremely sour from this morning. She pushed what happened with Shunsui out of her mind to focus on her newest and most threatening problem: Yukio Otori. This person had been the source of her distress all week, and she still didn't know what to do about him.

This morning had started out bad. She had abruptly woken herself up from what started as a very nice dream. She had many like this, filled with moonlight and cherry blossoms. They were always the same, starting with her in front of the grove. She would head deeper into it, looking for the spot where she always met Shunsui. This came from a similar spot where they had spent time together before, and she loved returning to it.

The blossoms had flown up, encircling her in a flurry of soft pink and straining her vision slightly. She would reach the old tree they met up at, and she would spent time with him. That's what usually happened. This time though, she was met with a different face.

It was Yukio.

She couldn't move, and she could barely breathe as he moved towards her. She didn't like it one bit. He caressed her cheek, and she shuddered, hating the contact. She did everything in her willpower to wake up before he kissed her. Miraculously, it worked, but left her for the worse.

What the hell? Now she was dreaming about him? Could he get any more annoying?

These were the first thoughts that went through her head when she realized she was no longer trapped within the fantasy-turned-nightmare. Her breathing was heavy, and her heart took several minutes to stop pounding in her chest. She had no idea what had caused this, but she didn't like it one bit. Then, as if to make things worse, her head started to ache. It had taken a few hours to get rid of it, even with Rangiku's special medicine.

She sighed as she watched a slow-moving cloud float across the sky. Shunsui would probably say that it looked like a bottle of sake. Okay, that was enough. Sitting up, she recognized that she wasn't going to wait any longer. She had already wasted too much time over it, and frankly, she missed being with Shunsui. Everything was going to be settled today, _everything_.

She stood, smoothing out her uniform before she flashed off, back towards the Eighth office.

XoXoXoX

Shunsui was in the office this afternoon. He wasn't lying on the couch or relaxing at all, and he hadn't even opened a bottle yet. Instead, he sat at his desk, mindlessly drumming his fingers on the surface of it. He really didn't know what to do with himself.

His meeting with Rangiku had gotten him nowhere. It just confirmed the fact that nobody knew where Nanao was…again. He had half a mind to go out and find her, but then he knew that she would eventually come back. If she needed time for something, he was going to give it to her willingly.

Still, when he mentioned this to Rangiku, he didn't like the distracted look she got on her face, like she knew something he didn't. He tried to ask her about it, wanting to know because it was about his Nanao-chan, but she waved it off and said it was nothing. He had decided to just return to the office and wait for her then, hoping that she would come back soon.

When he went to the Tenth earlier, he found that both Rangiku and Toshiro were gone. By questioning a lower officer, he learned that they had gone to an officer's meeting. If he didn't already have enough to think about, he scanned his memory trying to recall someone mentioning it. He came up with nothing and instantly wondering why he wasn't informed. Obviously they hadn't wanted him there. That could never mean a good thing. He went to the First Division anyway, to see if Nanao had gone to it. He could only hope. He came up fruitless though, and found Rangiku instead. This thought was only in the back of his head, but it would still be nice to know.

Picking up his head quickly, he sought to lock on to that familiar presence that just appeared outside, drawing closer. Not moving, he watched the door slide open, and as soon as he saw who it was, he heaved a big sigh and rushed to embrace her. Surely she knew he was here, but the sudden motion had surprised her, and it took her a few moments to realize what was going on.

He pulled her closer and buried his head into her hair, much like he did the night before, and murmured a soft 'Nanao-chan' into it. It was a reassuring notion that she did the same until she reached up and kissed him, missing the contact just as much as he did. For some reason, he felt that they were very detached from each other lately.

After that, he went right into questioning.

"What happened yesterday? I know you can handle yourself, but I was worried when nobody knew where you were. You didn't go to Rangiku's, did you?"

She stepped back from him and shook her head slowly. "No, I didn't."

"I saw her this morning and questioned her. Apparently there was some sort of meeting that we weren't invited to. You hadn't shown up anywhere, so I was getting worried. She told me that she had no idea what I was talking about. Where did you go?"

She didn't miss the concern glinting in his eyes, feeling slightly guilty that she made him feel that way. It wasn't likely to get much better until all of this was over though.

"I was just at my house. I needed some time… to think." Now the tricky part was going to be explaining why she needed that time.

"About what? You've been a bit different lately, but I didn't think it was anything to worry about. Is everything okay, Nanao?"

"Just about…everything. I think I've been overwhelmed." She dropped her eyes from him, thinking that they would give her away. He had gotten very good at reading whatever emotions she had hidden behind the glass.

"Why didn't you just say so? I wouldn't have gotten mad."

He tilted her head up with a curled finger, wanting to look her in the eyes. She spoke softly.

"Shunsui, I just…I don't know. I don't know anything anymore…"

Honestly, since when had stupid things become so complicated for them? Could she do it? Could she say something? Now when the time came to speak up, she was backing out. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't help the fear of not knowing what he would do.

He made to cup her cheek in his hand, but when he reached up to do so, she turned her head away. She took a few steps back towards the window. She turned and put her hand up to her face, covering most of it. The action stunned him a bit. She didn't usually turn away his affection, especially when he was trying to comfort whatever problem she was dealing with.

What was the matter with her? Watching the pain flicker across her face, no matter how much she tried to hide it, left pangs in his own heart. He could only cringe more as he thought about what was yet to come. He knew she wasn't going to like what he had to tell her.

"Nanao, we should talk."

She turned to look at him after he spoke, meeting his gaze. She nodded her head in agreement. This was it. He made a motion towards her, but stopped in his tracks as a knock sounded from the door. Sliding open, it revealed a messenger.

"I have orders from the First Division. General Yamamoto requires your presence."

Great, of all the times Yama-ji could need him, it had to be now.

"Can't it wait?"

Something was definitely wrong. She looked so dejected. He needed to find out what was bothering her _now_. Cursing the interruption in his mind, he hoped he could bide more time for them.

"I'm afraid not. It's urgent. General Yamamoto would like to see both of you immediately." The messenger was unrelenting.

"Alright." He sighed, struggling between the two most important things in his life.

He followed the messenger out the door, a silent Nanao following behind him.

XoXoXoX

The trip to the First was silent, as well as the journey through it. They came to a room where Yamamoto and Chojiro residing, and they bowed in respect. The four were the only ones in the eerie room. Looking up to Chojiro as he cleared his throat, Shunsui noticed that he held an official order in his hand.

Sharing a look and a nod with his captain, Chojiro walked up to Nanao and handed her the document, telling her to open it. Puzzled that it went to her and not Shunsui, she opened and began to read to herself. He watched her as she read, jumping a little when she didn't hide a gasp of surprise. She looked up at the head officers, a questioning look in her eyes.

"You're not serious, are you, Sir?"

The General spoke up. "I'm afraid, Lieutenant Ise, it is. This was brought up in a meeting we had today by Yukio Otori. Because of the situation, the officers debated over what should be done. A majority vote would decide what the outcome was. The council of officers decided this was for the best."

She held up the paper. "But…but this is absurd! Sir..."

"As much as it may be, this is what was decided. It is official as of this afternoon."

She looked downward, knowing that she couldn't argue with him, even though she really wanted to. Shunsui looked over at her, not knowing what was going on. "What does it say, Nanao-chan?" The mood was anything but light, but he could try.

She looked over at him and then back at the document. "It is hereby determined that because of certain careless actions and neglecting of Division responsibilities, as well as hazards to his Lieutenant, Captain Shunsui Kyouraku will be on a temporary discharge from his position, giving head of division duties to Lieutenant Ise."

Okay, so that was definitely not good. He couldn't think of anything he did that would deserve a suspension. And what was this about Nanao being at risk? He was going to voice those things, but Nanao had spoken up again.

"There's more." She looked back at the order. "Lieutenant Ise will assume all authorities of Captain, temporarily. A soul reaper will be chosen to take on other responsibilities as Lieutenant, as Lieutenant Ise will not be expected to run both positions. Captain Shunsui Kyouraku is not to interfere with Division duties during this time."

He stood silent for a moment. So now they were trying to physically take him away from Nanao? What was this? As far as he knew, he didn't do anything.

"How is that possible? For what am I being charged with that leads to suspension? This is ridiculous."

Lieutenant Sasakibe answered him. "It's been brought to our attention that your lax in responsibility could endanger the well-being of your Lieutenant as well as running the Eighth properly. One certain example is the explosion of one of your storage holdings yesterday. It was classified as a very careless action and is looked at negatively."

Nanao looked over at him. So that's what that shaking had been. Still, whatever it was, it didn't seem like it would be Shunsui's fault.

"I had nothing to do with that, I already told you that! I wasn't even present at the time. Somebody deliberately set that off, I'm sure of it."

"Precisely. That proves one of the points given. How can a Captain successfully run a Division when they aren't available half the time? One should rarely be gone, absent only when a situation requires their immediate assistance."

Well, Shunsui thought that was a pretty stupid reason, but even he didn't really want to argue. It was a captain's job to run the division smoothly, not sit away and rot in it. He would've told him that, but something in his tone told him that he probably shouldn't. Then again, it could've been the look Nanao was giving him at that moment, as if knowing what it was he wanted to say. She knew him well enough after all.

"That hardly seems like enough evidence to support this." Nanao had spoken up, saving them from an awkward silence.

Yamamoto spoke up again, taking the conversation from his lieutenant. "This was the only way it could be done. This is what the other captains and lieutenants decided, so this is how it will be. It's only a temporary leave, Shunsui, not permanent. The suspension length has yet to be determined. If it seems that the division is operating no better, then you will be put back in charge. Until then, I suggest that you make yourself scare around the office."

He only suggested it, but they both knew that they expected him to stay clear of the place.

"Furthermore, because Yukio Otori was the one to bring the issue up, he will be acting as Lieutenant of the Eighth. We were looking for a place for him. We shall see if this works."

If Nanao thought that the day couldn't get any worse, it just had. Now she was going to have to put up with Yukio more, starting this afternoon. There would be no Shunsui to stand between them. She was almost sick on her feet. She was going to protest, but she caught Shunsui's eye, telling her it was best not to.

Defeated, she looked to the floor. She didn't notice Shunsui move until he was next to her, putting something on her shoulders. She looked up, seeing his white captain's haori around her. She didn't see when he removed that and the pink one. She clutched at it, confused.

"I believe you need this now, Nanao-chan."

He had a smile on his face, but she could tell that it was only full of sadness. Sure, he wanted to see her succeed. She knew that, but she didn't want it to be like this. She would rather be promoted to anther division, not replace him, especially when they could no longer work together. That situation was totally different.

It shouldn't seem like a big deal, but this was how her feelings had developed. It had helped that she spent almost every day in his company, learning more and more about each other as the days passed. It had become a constant in both of their lives. To have it taken away so suddenly was like removing all air from the room. She wanted to let it take her to her knees, but her pride said no. They had known that this might happen eventually, but not like this.

They bowed to the Head Captain, only partially understanding what was expected of him. Shunsui turned towards her.

"Shall we go, Captain Ise?"

-End of Part Eight


	9. Cornered In The Rain

A/N: I didn't realize until just now that this is the second update I've had today. Oh well. I'm pretty sure I won't be looked down on for that. This chapter was fun. I think the next ones will be too. I'm unsure how many there will be after this. It's probably going to be two because I don't think I can do it in one. There also could possibly be three. I don't know yet. Maybe I should write longer stories more often, this one is doing excellent at helping me with my habit of leaving things unfinished. It's good for the inspiration too. Alright, I won't bug you anymore. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

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Chapter Nine: Cornered In The Rain

As soon as they were clear of the First, Shunsui wasted no time in grabbing Nanao and flashing them back to the office. It wasn't because the sky had darkened when they were meeting with the Captain Commander. It wasn't because it was threatening to rain, or because there was a lot of work to be done. No, it was because Nanao looked like she was ready to breakdown, and he wanted to prevent it.

He slid the door open and deposited her inside, closing it behind him. If Yamamoto had called Yukio right away, he only had a short amount of time to speak with her before he got here. It looked like his confession would have to wait until later. They would need more time than what they were going to get. They might've been successful in banning him from the office, but they couldn't ban him from seeing her afterward.

He looked over at her and noticed that she had gone extremely pale. It seemed that she realized exactly what was happening and wasn't taking it too well. She was looking down at her hands, which were clutching the white captain's haori that was around her. She slowly looked up at him, a worried expression on her usually expressionless face.

"What's going to happen now? I don't even know how this happened. There must be something we can do."

She dropped the fabric, letting it fall back to the ground. It was a little big on her small frame, a constant reminder that it wasn't hers and things weren't alright as long as she had it. Her mind had slowed down since the declaration of their current situation, and she couldn't think of anything she could do to fix it. She didn't lose hope though, because there had to be something.

He shook his head sadly, walking over to her and enveloping her in a hug. "For right now, we're not going to do anything. We're going to act completely normal and do what we would usually do, Nanao-chan. As much as I want to, I can't convince Yama-ji of anything else right now."

She leaned up against him, and he kissed the top of her head. "Maybe he'll let me off early for good behavior. I should invite him out for a drink too."

She smiled a little, even if it was just a joke. He wanted to brighten her up somehow, at least for now.

A rap and opening of the door made the smile fall from her face. Looking over, arms still around Nanao, he spotted Yukio. He had a smug look on his face that Shunsui wanted to smack off of him.

"If I'm not mistaken, _Kyouraku_, I believe that you're not allowed here." He put extra emphasis on the fact that he no longer had to call him captain.

Nanao moved threateningly towards him and was about to retort when Yukio held up a scroll. "I have the official order right here, signed by Captain Yamamoto. I don't think you want to argue with that now, do you?"

Shunsui put a hand on Nanao's shoulder. "Of course we don't. I was just merely saying farewell, Yukio."

"I believe that it's Lieutenant Otori now, Kyouraku. I think it would be best if you vacated yourself from the office. We have work to do."

He ran his hand over the armband on his arm, the insignia showing the same familiar symbol of the Eighth. Nanao cringed at the sight of it. It was wrong. She still had hers on underneath the haori, hoping that she wouldn't have to let go of what it meant and that all of this would be solved out soon. He seemed to be silently gloating about it.

"My mistake, _Lieutenant Otori_. I'll be going now." He used the phrase with disdain. Talk about rubbing salt on an open wound.

He turned back towards Nanao, lifting her chin up to look at him. "Chin up, Nanao-chan. I'll see you tonight." She nodded, watching as he floated past Yukio. At the door he turned to look at her one more time, eyes meeting in a silent understanding for now.

As the door was closing, Shunsui could even hear the tension in the room thicken. He also heard the argument that was itching to stir.

XoXoXoX

"You shouldn't tolerate such disrespect, Captain Ise." He walked towards her.

"Well, since I'm the captain now, I think I can allow people to call me whatever I wish." She was a bit snappy, but she didn't care. She was moving past the miserable stage and going right into the part where she got angry.

She was moving over to her desk, attempting to make things a bit more normal by doing some familiar work. She doubted it would work without Shunsui there, but she was willing to give almost anything a shot at this point. It wasn't the captain's desk, but it was _hers_. She planned on things staying that way.

"I'm only trying to be helpful, Captain. No need to get upset." Did he enjoy rubbing it in so much?

"Enough." Her hands came down hard on her desk.

"What?" He seemed so innocent, but she now knew much better.

"For one, as long as you're here, I don't want to hear anything from you other than what piece of paperwork goes where, got it? As you can see, I'm extremely agitated, and it's not going to go away as long as you're here."

He was in a stunned silence, so she continued. "Two, I am greatly disappointed that you didn't come to me with your concerns _before_ calling a meeting. Those were things that were easily fixable. I don't appreciate you going behind Shunsui and I's backs."

He still said nothing. "Now, I'm going to _attempt_ to get some work done. If you have any other concerns about the division, see the third seat, she should be able to assist you."

She stopped talking to him then, not really caring if he did anything or not. At least that aspect hadn't changed. Sighing, she lifted the first piece of paper off of the yet-to-be-completed pile.

XoXoXoX

An hour ticked slowly by, and Nanao found that she really hadn't gotten any work done. She couldn't think. It just wasn't the same without Shunsui here in the office napping or just watching her. Of course, there had been previous times when he was absent from the office, but those were times that she either knew he'd be back or times when she knew exactly where to find him.

She had been absently staring out the window for the past ten minutes, thinking about Shunsui. It was one of the first times where she didn't know where he was. It had started to rain just after she left, the sky darkening as the clouds drew closer. On days like this, he was usually in the office, unable to lounge outside. Where did he go now? She didn't really like not knowing. Suddenly, in light of current events, the whole scene yesterday wasn't that important. Neither of them were really. She would still have to bring that up tonight, but that was later.

She had to make it through the rest of the day first.

She peered over at Yukio, who unfortunately was sitting in Shunsui's desk, her _captain_. He had actually done some work, she saw. That didn't make her feel any better though. Maybe she should do what Shunsui usually did. If she unloaded all her work onto Yukio, maybe he would complain and then they could be in exile together. Then again, she doubted it. He would probably say nothing.

It was all too strange to her. The Eighth captain's haori did not belong on her shoulders, at least not while Shunsui was around. She couldn't take this anymore. Wordlessly she got up and headed towards the door. She stepped out into the rain, not bothering to close the door behind her. She faintly heard Yukio call her name, but she kept going, to who knows where.

XoXoXoX

Shunsui had been wandering around for about an hour after he left the office. He didn't care much for the rain because of his hat, but instead found himself worrying about Nanao. He had heard what she told Yukio, and he was proud of her. She sounded stern and unforgiving without starting a fight. Hopefully her mood had gotten a little better.

Seeing a flash of white, he did a double take and strained his eyes to get a better view. Going down one of the alleys was what appeared to be his Nanao-chan. What was she doing out in the rain? Getting closer, he confirmed his sight. She was leaning against the wall, protected from the rain because of the slightly overhanging roof. He was going to move closer when another figure came onto the scene, stopping him in his tracks.

Yukio was here.

Stopping around the corner, he watched on out of sight.

Nanao looked up from her feet, feeling a presence. Meeting the person, a frown came to her face.

"What do you want, Yukio?" She knew she probably shouldn't be rude, but she left the office to get _away_ from him.

"I noticed that you looked upset. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine." Her answer was dry, and a bit muffled from the noise of the rain on the roof above her.

He stepped under the roof also, getting closer to her. She backed up a little in response.

"Are you sure? I know I haven't been the most helpful lately, but I only wanted what was best for you."

She glared at him. "I don't think it's any of your business to be concerned with what's best for me. I already have someone more than capable of doing so."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Still. If it helps any, I am sorry."

She looked at his face, not really convinced. "I don't believe you."

"Are you sure?" He stepped closer again. When Nanao backed up, she found herself hitting the wall.

"What are you doing?"

Her question went unanswered, however.

As soon as the words left her lips, she felt something press up against them. She was aware of pressure on her shoulders, pushing her against the wall. Confused for a moment, she was motionless.

Time almost stood still for Shunsui. He didn't like how this looked, even if she had no part in it. It was like what happened to him. It sent a different kind of pain through him. He dimly wondered if she would've felt the same had she seen him.

As soon as Nanao realized what was happening and regained control of her body, she shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, out into the pathway of the alley before he fell backwards. He looked a little surprised. What nerve. She put her hand up to her head, a buzzing all of a sudden filling it.

And just like that, something snapped in her. This was going too far. There was a blind rage building up inside her, wanting to lash out at him. She wondered, is this how Leiko felt when she watched Shunsui flirt with others? She hated being compared to her, but in the light of that moment, she could almost understand how she felt when she attacked that division member.

In response, her hand ignited with a blue flame. She walked out into the open, rain pouring down on her. She stalked closer to him, fire flickering dangerously. She began to chant the words to a spell, when a strong hand appeared on hers, pulling her out of the daze.

"No, Nanao. As much as he deserves it, you can't kill him."

She looked over to Shunsui, who had come to stand beside her. The energy immediately ceased from her hand, not wanting to burn him. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it.

"I want to kill him too, trust me."

From the ground, Yukio spoke up. "That's a threatening remark! I'll make sure you never get put back in command."

"I would advise you to be quiet." He looked over at him. "If I don't let her kill you, I'm not going to stop her from filing harassment against you."

Shunsui let go of her hand, trusting that she wouldn't lunge at him or melt him. Yukio slowly got up, rain soaking all three of them.

"Now, I want to know what you think that was." Shunsui had taken a step forward, slightly in front of Nanao.

Yukio started to laugh. "Well, Kyouraku, I'm surprised you would ask such a thing. It was revenge. You don't think that only you could get away with it do you? In that abandoned alleyway? I'm sure Nanao would agree with me."

He knew exactly what he was talking about, but what did Nanao have to do with it? He looked over at her, meeting her eyes before she dropped them to look at the ground.

"I…saw what happened the other day." She couldn't look at him. Inside, her mind laughed woefully. They were even now right? Somehow, she didn't find that very funny.

His mind was a disaster. She had known about that? Why hadn't she said anything? His stomach dropped at the thought. She probably wanted to see if he would say anything about it. It made him ill. Is that the reason she had been so different lately? Did she know that he didn't do it on purpose?

Shunsui whirled back to Yukio.

"You! What did you do? That woman was in a daze. Why are you here?"

"It doesn't matter what I did. Now the two of you are even. A kiss for a kiss."

Nanao stepped to the left a little, to get a better view from behind Shunsui. "But none of that makes any sense! Why would you bother with something like that?" She was confused, and that buzzing still hadn't gone away.

"So have you given up on him yet? Does his betrayal bother you? _Does it hurt, Nanao-chan? Don't worry, it will all be over soon."_

The realization hit her like slamming into a brick wall.

"No…it couldn't be. You're not…?"

Shunsui was puzzled. What was she talking about? He was angry that Yukio insinuated that he was cheating on her, but his other comment worried him.

"No, I'm not. Not exactly. That would be too cliché, don't you think?"

"What's he talking about, Nanao?"

"Easy. Here, I'll explain." He stated pacing about, a characteristic she recognized. Now that she thought about it, his hair was a bit of the same color too.

"My real name is Yukio Tokinori, so yes, I am indeed Leiko's brother. You couldn't imagine how easy it is to change your name and hide out for a while. Nobody even notices that it shouldn't be that easy to advance through the Academy like that, especially when you proclaim yourself a prodigy."

"So you hid away for what purpose? Are you trying to hurt Nanao?" He took a threatening step forward, prepared to do some damage if that was his intent, damn the consequences.

"It's simple really. I want revenge." He held up his hand and shook his head as Shunsui took another step. "No, no. Not like that. I don't want to kill Nanao. I'm not as violent as Leiko was."

When he stopped, Yukio continued. "I simply want to see her suffer, to take away what she wanted the most, just like you did to Leiko. Surprising enough, what you wanted, Nanao, was something you already had, making it that much easier for me. It might seem cliché, but you can't imagine how much fun it is until you try it yourself. My ultimate goal was to take her away from you, Shunsui, and then break what was left of her."

He grinned wickedly, and Shunsui glared.

"You see though, I made a slight miscalculation. It seems you weren't that easy to get rid of. I had to resort to many methods. It would've been much more fun if you would have left a few moments ago. Sadly, you decided to intervene. That's too bad."

"I don't care if I'm going to get in trouble. I'm going to take care of this." Nanao's hand had flared up again, and she had started to move forward.

Shunsui had to move in front of her and grab her shoulders. "No, Nanao, that's what he wants." He was interrupted by another chuckle.

"Yes, technically you can't really do anything to me. Not if you want to stay together, that is. I'm sure they would squirm at the chance to arrest an upper level officer."

She stopped, realizing that he was right. There really wasn't anything they could do to him, at least not yet. Someone had to be informed of his actions, and then they might be able to do something. If she did hurt him, or Shunsui for that matter, they would take it as an offense. They would either be locked up or discharged permanently from the Seireitei.

Shunsui moved next to her again, and they both looked at him, not knowing what to do next.

Then, Captain Soi Fon appeared about twenty feet from Yukio, causing him to turn around and the other two to look. Members of the Kido Corp appeared at her side, extras landing on the roofs overlooking the alley. She looked to the right, at one of the dark-garbed figures.

"Arrest him."

-End of Part Nine


	10. For Their Own Good

A/N: I was seriously spazzing out earlier today. My internet worked fine this morning, but about an hour after I came home from town, it all of a sudden stopped. I thought it might be because of the weather, but the other computers in my house were working. Needless to say I was very upset with the whole thing. I finally got it to work somehow (still trying to figure that one out) so I'm better now. This chapter was fun too. This is not the last chapter by the way. The next one will be. Thanks to everyone that read/reviewed/alerted/favorited! You guys are wonderful. You keep me going. Thanks again! Anyway, onwards! Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

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Chapter Ten: For Their Own Good

Before Yukio could even twitch, two of Soi Fon's division members were on either side of him with a firm grip on his arm. The rain had started to let up a little bit, softening the thudding sound and making her words seem clearer. She stepped closer, continuing were she left off.

"Yukio Otori, you are charged with negatively manipulating and brainwashing unwilling participants, insulting high level officers including the Captain Commander, and the destruction of Gotei 13 property in the Eighth. If you want to see it, I have the order right here."

She pulled out a rolled piece of parchment from her robes and waved it before returning it to keep it dry. She had a scowl on her face, and she looked up when she saw Ivy Giahara appear behind Shunsui and Nanao, watching the sight.

The dark-robed figures started to pull him away from the scene. He stopped suddenly, causing his transporters to stop as well. He turned partially back towards the Eighth officers and looked over his shoulder at Nanao.

"Well, it appears that some things happen for a reason after all."

He said nothing more, and the guards pulled him along again. Watching them disappear around the corner, Soi Fon came up to Shunsui and Nanao, seeing Ivy do the same. She spoke up, wondering why she was here.

"Captain Giahara, are there additional orders from the First?"

She shook her head. "No." Then, she smiled, sweetly of course. "I just wanted to watch him get dragged away. Actually, it's quite embarrassing that someone like that was right under my nose and I didn't catch him."

"You voiced your concern that something wasn't right soon after his transfer into your division. I suppose it isn't your fault that we failed to listen. It seems he fooled us all." She added the last part bitterly, angry at herself for her own weakness in the matter.

Ivy shrugged her shoulders. "What's done is done, I guess." She paused for a minute, smiling a little when she thought of something. "Izuru wanted to come too, but he's still in the Fourth."

"So he's still suffering from the side effects then?" Ivy nodded.

"Side effects from what?" The two female captains looked over at Shunsui. They almost forgot that he and Nanao were still standing there, lost in their own conversation.

Ivy explained. "Brainwashing. It seems that Yukio's power wasn't revealed because it isn't really a fighting skill. He has something like 'the power of suggestion' taken to the next level. At least that's how Retsu explained it. His persuasion abilities make people do what he tells them to for the most part."

"Well that would explain a lot of things." Shunsui was thinking about his run-in with the woman from the Thirteenth in particular.

Soi Fon nodded. "Yes, that's why the demonstration was never held. He apparently talked the supervisors out of it. It was the same at the meeting the other day. That's why none of us really said anything in your defense. We are sorry about that. They wanted me to let you know." She inclined her head towards Shunsui, and he acknowledged that.

"How did you figure this out? Last time I checked, most of you were in support of his suggestion." Nanao wondered this. What had changed in the last few hours?

"Well," Ivy spoke. "After the meeting, several of us contracted rigorous migraines. That didn't seem like an odd thing, but after checking in with Retsu, she found that almost all the captains and lieutenants had one. The Twelfth was called, and don't ask me how, but Mayuri and Retsu were working together until they figured out the source."

"It must've been severe then. Those too are like oil and water. Retsu being like water, of course." Shunsui was right. They rarely were forced to work together, and they only barely tolerated each other. After all, one was dedicated to saving lives, while the other didn't think twice about taking them.

"Everything just fell into place after that. Some members from Mayuri's division came with him to the Fourth, and one them broke down saying that someone had convinced them to set fire to that holding building in the Eighth that exploded yesterday. When they ran tests, they found that he showed the same readings as the rest of us. Yukio was linked to some other things too."

Soi Fon continued after that. "Captain Unohana said that those who resisted Yukio were 'strong minded.' There weren't many who were able to resist him, as you can see. Those that did suffered worse, so Izuru was one to fall victim to that, being that he was one to oppose your suspension."

"So that explains what happened with Captain Zaraki." Nanao was thinking, and that was something that just came across her mind.

"Yes. Who knows what else he may have done too. He was fortunate that the Captain Commander was not in the meeting. He would not have been swayed that easily, and he probably would have noticed that something was happening to us." They all nodded their approval, pausing a few moments in silence.

"So, what happens now?" Shunsui had turned towards Soi Fon again. She seemed to have gotten orders from Yama-ji lately, so she probably knew what they were supposed to do.

"We are to report to First Division. They have some things that need to be changed."

Shunsui smiled, an actual smile verses the ones he'd been giving all day. Maybe things would start turning around now. He still worried about Nanao though. Other than her one question, she had been very quiet. She was usually like this, but today it bothered him. They still had many things to work out.

They began to walk away, getting clear of the alley before they used shunpo. They stopped however, as they heard a small laugh come from behind them. Turning, they saw Ivy trailing behind, covering her mouth with her hand.

"May I inquire about what that you find so funny?"

She smiled at her, knowing that even though Soi Fon seemed brash, she was curious.

"Oh, nothing much, just thinking about Yukio's ability. If the higher-ups would've known about it, they probably wouldn't have wanted him as a lieutenant. I mean come on, what's he going to do, talk a hollow to death?"

At this all of them could be seen failing to suppress a chuckle. It was good to lighten the mood a bit. The rain helped too, for it had let up entirely. Leaving the place in a flash, they headed to the First.

XoXoXoX

Their meeting at the First was about the same as the first time they were there, except all the actions were reversed. Nanao was put back as lieutenant, and Shunsui was once again a Captain not on suspension. Nanao was more than happy to give back the white haori she possessed. Things were supposed to be right now, but Shunsui still felt the weight resting on him. Things were not quite right yet. He didn't worry much about it though, and the thought passed through his mind as quickly as it came. He would settle that as soon as he got a chance. For now, he let himself celebrate silently that this had at least been fixed and Yukio was imprisoned.

When Yukio's charges had been read, the list was quite long for someone that had been in the Seireitei for such little time. They had to trace all his actions back to the very beginning. It started by confirming that he changed his name and had been through the Academy many many years ago. He had disappeared around the same time that Leiko was exiled, waiting to make a move. To get through the Academy once again, he had just 'convinced' the instructors to give him the marks without having to prove anything. Then he used being a prodigy as a cover up.

Shunsui was impressed that they could find so much information so fast. Then again, that was their job, so it shouldn't have surprised him that much. If only they would've known this sooner though, then they could have avoided a bunch of unfavorable situations.

Once Yukio was in, he offset his true nature by his nice guy attitude. Some of his charm had been put into that, so a lot of people were fooled. Those that could see through it, like Izuru, had not felt right, but couldn't see anything wrong otherwise. Of course, the good marks and referrals from the Academy had peaked the others' interest, so they wanted to see if he would do well in an officer's position. To get out of his demonstration, he had done the same thing as in the Academy, he simply told them it wasn't necessary. They listened.

There weren't many times he singled out people for his particular skill, but it was used on Kenpachi Zaraki to discourage his fight. It was also known that he had convinced the Twelfth Division member to light fire to the building in the Eighth. The storage place had been used for other things as well, but everyone knew it was one of Shunsui's sake reserves. An explosion had ensued from the flammable liquid.

Shunsui was also convinced that the same thing had happened to the Thirteenth woman, but he left this information out. It would just complicate things. She had shown some of the same symptoms though, like the daze when it had worn off, so he was positive that's what happened. Everyone knew, like his sake, that he was with Nanao.

The meeting had been what sold them on signing the warrant though. During and after, he had commented negatively about some of the captains. He directly insulted Ukitake, Ivy, and Rangiku, by saying that their judgment was no good. By complaining that no action was ever taken and referring to Shunsui's status as one of his students, he had insulted General Yamamoto.

Then, there was the fact that he had deliberately manipulated captains and lieutenants against one of their own. It was impressive that he was able to sway most of them over, but it was a punishable act. The last thing added to the list was harassment of Nanao. Shunsui made it a point to not leave that out.

After fixing that, they had been sent over to the Fourth. Unohana wanted to check if either of them had extensive exposure to Yukio's skill. Shunsui had no trace of it, but that was to be expected because they didn't interact together much. In Nanao, she had found numerous traces. This could be used to explain the buzzing she felt in her head earlier, the one that had wanted her to lash out against him.

Unohana had given them the clear after confirming that he would no longer have any affect over her from the last time she was exposed. Nanao was more relieved than ever. The feeling she had when he was around made her sick to her stomach. She was glad that he was finally gone.

She and Shunsui were sitting in a room in the Fourth Division currently, watching Unohana leave the room. Jushiro walked almost immediately after, like he had been waiting to do so the whole time they were there. Nanao was seated on one cot, feet not touching the floor. Shunsui was across from her on the adjacent one, looking at Ukitake.

Thinking that they would want some time to talk alone, she got up to leave. Not realizing what she was doing, Shunsui got up at the same time.

"Sit." Ukitake's command made both of them sent him a puzzled look.

"What's the deal, Juu?"

He rolled his eyes in a very un-captain like manner. "You two are not going anywhere."

Nanao began to protest. "But, Sir, I really need to-"

He cut her off. "The only thing you need to be doing right now is talking to him." He pointed at Shunsui. He also looked ready to protest, but Ukitake cut him off too. "You need to talk to each other. I will force it if need be."

Jushiro had been Shunsui's confident in everything. He knew all that happened by now, including the stress that they were going through. Heck, he didn't need to know what was going on to realize that.

"I could cut the tension in the room with a knife. That's why neither of you are going anywhere until you sort things out. I don't think anyone wants to see either of you moping around."

He walked over to the door, stopping at the frame. "This is for your own good, really. I'm going to be standing out here, so don't even think of backing out." He gave one of those eerie smiles, like the kind Unohana had. Maybe he learned it from her.

Sliding the door shut, Ukitake could be heard conversing with division members as they passed by. Shunsui walked over and touched the door, a blue barrier coming up to meet his hand. Jushiro had placed a kido barrier over it. Nanao could probably break it if she tried, but he supposed that there really wasn't a better time to do this. Neither of them should put it off any longer.

"I guess he really wasn't kidding." He laughed a little but then stopped when he thought of what he was going to say. Fortunately for him, Nanao decided to break the silence.

"Are you angry?" She asked it in a small voice, like a child that was afraid of a scolding from their parents.

"What? I should be the one asking you that." He sighed deeply. It didn't make things any easier. "I could never be mad at you for something like that. What he did was…inexcusable, for lack of a better word. If I could, I would strangle him."

Nanao was looking at her feet swinging back and forth, anything to keep her occupied so she wouldn't focus on how nervous she was feeling at this moment. This shouldn't really be a big deal, but both of their faiths in each other had been shaken a bit. Lost in her thoughts, she did notice that he was now standing in front of her. Only until he crouched down and looked at her did she finally snap out of the daze.

He spoke softly, worried if he was saying the right things. "So…you saw what happened in the alley." It wasn't really a question, but she nodded anyway.

"I'm assuming you were waiting for me to say something, then?" She nodded again.

He sighed again, looking downwards for a minute before looking back at her. "Nanao, I'm so sorry. I know it was entirely my fault, what with Yukio's influence, but I still fell terrible about it. It wasn't like what happened to you." He paused for a minute, thinking back on the scene.

"I was running some errands while you were working, and she called out to me for help. She looked a little lost, being so far from the Thirteenth. I asked her what was wrong and she just sort of lunged at me. I pushed her off but…I guess you saw the rest. I'll understand if you don't… trust me anymore." Some other words had come to mind instead, but he didn't even want to think of that.

He had gotten up after, going to move away from her. He really did feel bad. He took one step before he felt himself being pulled back. Looking down, he saw that Nanao had come to life and grabbed onto his hand. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, feeling the same way he did. She shook her head.

"No, it's just as much my fault. You fell under the same situation that happened to me. It's the same thing. It looks like we both made a mistake."

Well, she was certainly taking this better than he thought she would. Then again, it was his Nanao-chan, and he should know that she was pretty tolerant when it came to him.

"I'm sorry too." She sighed. "I still trust you."

He smiled at her, turning around as she got up. "Never again, Nanao-chan. I promise." He tucked a strand of somewhat wet hair behind her ear. He kissed her then, sealing the deal.

Breaking apart, they heard Soi Fon talking to Jushiro in the hallway, him keeping up his end of the bargain of not letting them out until they were finished.

Nanao smiled a little before a crease formed on her brow. "It seems that the past won't leave us alone, will it? Sometimes I wonder what's next to come and try to take you away from me."

He wrapped her in a hug. "Well, then we just have to deal with it when it comes. Nothing is going to get rid of me, not as long as you want me here. Eventually those things will stop bothering us, although it might be a long time yet."

She nodded against him. There would probably be more things to come. She would fight for it though, having come such a long way to get where she was today.

They both looked towards the door as a loud thudding was heard coming down the hall towards their room. Quieting to listen, they heard what the hurrying division member was saying.

"Captain Soi Fon!"

They heard him come to a stop in front of her, panting for breath.

"What is it? It better be important." It was nice to see someone back to their old self.

"Yukio Tokinori has escaped!"

-End of Part Ten

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A/N: Okay, I know some of you saw that one coming. I couldn't help it. I feel incomplete without my small action scene. I need the practice anyway. Besides, I can't end it like this, I haven't put in my special way of ending it yet. That will come next chapter. I love hearing from you! Let me know if justice was done! -KG


	11. One Last Stand

A/N: It's not even funny how much trouble I had to go through to get this on here. It had to happen on the last chapter too, it couldn't have waited until I was done with it. It seems that the other computer stopped working when I was in the middle of this chapter. I couldn't get on it at all, so I had to redo the whole thing. I was not happy. Anyway, this is the last part of my follow-up. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. It turned out better than I thought it would, in my opinion. Okay, good, not good? Let me know. -KG

* * *

Chapter Eleven: One Last Stand

"What!? How did this happen?" Soi Fon was scowling something terrible, and the messenger shrank back in fear a bit. Irate was probably not the most descriptive word for it, but it was close enough.

Shunsui and Nanao opened their door and stepped out to meet with the two captains. The messenger shrank back more seeing all the important officers surrounding him. Two others came up to them next, causing a further stirring of the ward. It began buzzing as a beehive would, everyone wanting to know what was going on.

Glancing down the hall, Ivy and Retsu were spotted coming out of a room they were speaking in. Hearing the commotion, Retsu spoke up.

"What is all this noise?" Instantly, things quieted down. She didn't yell, but her voice held that demanding quality. They walked up to the others. "Now, what's going on here?"

Seeing Ivy, one of the guards came to life and stepped in front of her, bowing. "Captain Giahara! During Yukio Tokinori's escape, Lieutenant Kira was injured."

Panic flashed quickly across her face. "Where is he?"

"He was on his way back to Third when he was attacked."

Worry ran through her eyes. "Damn. Thank you for the information." A second later she was gone with a gust of light wind.

Shunsui held a puzzled look as to why she ran off like that. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I checked, Yukio wasn't much of a threat. What could he possibly do to Izuru?"

"Allow me to explain." Unohana turned towards him. "Lieutenant Kira is still not well from the after effects of Yukio's ability, having resisted so hard. That's what I was speaking to Ivy about. He was supposed to be on light duty for a couple of days. I sent him home to rest."

"So he was probably caught off-guard then."

"That's what I'm assuming. Ivy probably knew that." She was looking down the hall that she had just disappeared down, a slight frown on her face. Clearing it, she turned to look behind the group, spotting just the person she was searching for.

"Hanataro, could you prepare a room for Lieutenant Kira? I expect he will be arriving shortly."

He jumped slightly at the mention of his name, halting the cleaning he was administering to the floor. "Y-yes, Captain Unohana, at once." He hastily picked up his bucket and mop and bowed, rushing away to do as he was told.

It seems that everything wasn't over just yet.

XoXoXoX

"Well, he certainly made a mess out of things here. So much for saying he wasn't that violent."

The same four that had accosted Yukio were now standing outside, between the Second and Third Divisions, assessing the damages. In his attempts to escape into the Rukongai, he had partially destroyed parts of both sections.

When everything had quieted down for the most part, Yukio had just 'convinced' one of his watchers to open his cell. Once out, he had knocked them both out and escaped, going towards the Third in his attempt to retreat to Rukongai. By chance, he had came upon Izuru, still disoriented.

Lucky for him, Izuru had still been suffering from the after effects of his manipulation. Coming back to his division from the Fourth, he had been so out of it that he didn't sense him approaching. With no way to defend himself so unexpectedly, he was left with a slash across the back. It had been a quick hit and run though, for the alarm went up as soon as other Second members found the unconscious guards. A few members of the Corps. caught up with him, causing him to leave Izuru bloodied on the ground. He was brought to the Fourth and treated later.

To avoid being captured again, he had destroyed a part of the buildings to provide a distraction while he escaped to Rukongai. A squad was sent after him, but they came up fruitless after an hour of searching, loosing any traces of him almost instantly. Rukongai was a large place, after all. They were hesitant about sending another squad out, knowing that it could be a while before anyone found him. They didn't want to waste time if they could help it.

Even so, the order went out that if any soul reaper were to come across him, they were to do one of two things. If possible, they were to submit him to arrest. If he was uncooperative, they were given permission to execute.

Shunsui was generally a nonviolent person, but right now, he liked the idea of the second option.

They were now standing around, wondering what they were going to do about the current situation. A thought flashed through Nanao's mind, and she looked up at Shunsui, sharing a look of understanding.

She turned towards the other two captains. "I think I know where he is."

"What? Tell me where!" Soi Fon was still bitter that her division had been embarrassed.

"With all due respect, Captain, I think that a large group would scare him off. I request permission to arrest him myself. He hasn't been much of a threat so far, so he shouldn't last long against my kido." Even if he did prove to be a formidable opponent, Nanao still wanted the chance to face him.

"I'll go with her for support." Of course he would.

She sat for a minute, thinking about the idea and weighing the options. It sounded good. Besides, as much as she wanted to redeem her division's esteem, she knew this wasn't really her battle to fight. She nodded. "I'll go inform the First Division immediately." She turned to leave, but Nanao stopped her.

"Wait." She did and turned back. "There's a chance that Yukio will try to flee again. If that happens, do you think that you and your division could follow us to the 52nd District and monitor the edges?"

Soi Fon nodded. It looks like she would be given a chance after all. "I will have it arranged at once. Good luck." Then, she flashed away, leaving a small cloud of dust in her wake.

Having everything taken care of, Shunsui stepped forward and offered his hand to Nanao. "Shall we, Nanao-chan?" She nodded, and reached out for his hand.

"Shunsui, Nanao." Hearing Ivy speak up, they stopped and looked back at her, being silent while the others made their exchange. She was staring off into the distance. "Make him pay... for everything." Her hand had closed into a fist, and she looked towards the ground as she said it. She met their gaze only after she finished. They each nodded at her before she too flashed off.

Her division had been left with a bad mark as well, only more discreetly. There was the fact that Yukio got away with as much as he did right under her nose. Although both she and her lieutenant knew something was odd, they didn't have enough proof to make a good claim.

Shunsui knew though, that the real reason behind her anger was for Izuru. It was common to find that most captains were protective of their lieutenants, forming a strong bond that not many could beat. The closest thing was probably a zanpakuto and their wielder. The Third was a prime example of this. They had worked hard to regain the trust throughout the entire division.

It seemed that Yukio had much to atone for.

XoXoXoX

Well, this was familiar.

Once again they were standing at the gate of the 52nd District. In this very spot Nanao had stood, more than a year ago, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Shunsui too, had been led here. The familiar grove of pink awaited them, but just like back then, it didn't hold the same peaceful qualities like the ones near the office.

"How do you know he's here?"

She thought for a moment before looking over at him. "I don't really know why. I can just feel it. It may not be logical, but I just know. I don't know how to explain it."

"Instinct. Sometimes that's better than any strategy or logic used." She silently agreed.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hoping he'll try to resist."

She chuckled. "Either way, we're going to cut off all aliments from the past tonight. Although highly unprofessional, I don't think I would mind a little payback as well."

He shared her laugh. "That's my Nanao-chan." He had always known that she had another side to her underneath the mask she always used to wear when around him. "The sooner we're rid of him, the better. Then we can spend time doing more important things."

"Yes, I think curling up with a good book sounds wonderful." She smiled at his pout. "Wrapped up in your arms of course, Shunsui."

His smile returned to him hearing this last bit. He didn't really care what they did, as long as he got to spend time with her (although he could think of some creative ways to do so). Thoughts fading as the present came into view once more, they shared a serious look and a nod before advancing onward, counting on Soi Fon and the Second Division to hold up their end of the deal.

There was a reason why Shunsui and Nanao wanted to do this alone. They had both been wronged by Yukio, in the same but different way. If they weren't the ones to take care of this, it would bother them for a very long time. He was part of that past that wouldn't leave them alone. Even in death, Leiko still caused problems.

If this wasn't stopped, it would be an endless cycle, wrapping around itself again and again to torment them. It wasn't like nothing else gave them grief. They certainly didn't need anything else in the way. No, once this was over, the past would finally be put to rest.

Then, they could focus on their future, together.

XoXoXoX

The sun was almost spent for the day, casting shadows through the grove. There was no dancing of the cherry blossoms today. They moved cautiously but quickly, from pink to green, as the grove gave way to the forest beyond. If memory served her right, the clearing was just up ahead. Sealing off all traces of their reiatsu, they proceeded carefully.

When the space was visible, they spotted who they were looking for.

He was kneeling down on the ground, looking at something in the dirt. They approached slowly and quietly, but not quietly enough.

"So, you found me after all. How fitting." He took of fistful of dirt and stood up, facing them. "Her blood is now a part of this soil." He opened his hand, causing its contents to waterfall down to the ground. "I suppose you're here to arrest me. Or, perhaps killing me would be more fitting?"

Nanao answered. "Yukio Tokinori, you are under arrest. If you resist, we'll have to execute you." They took a step forward, and a light blue barrier flew up around him, preventing them from advancing further.

"Look familiar?" He held up a strange device. Shunsui recognized it right away. It was the same type that Leiko had possessed. "I used to be in the Twelfth too, you know."

Shunsui then asked something that had been bothering him for a while. "Why is it that nobody remembers you? You would think that your ability would've been documented or something."

Yukio laughed a little. "It's easy to forget a nobody. All the better for plotting. My skill wasn't perfected until recently." Smirking, he continued. "Now, if you want to play, follow me. I think you'll find it quite entertaining."

A gate to the real world appeared behind him. He waved and disappeared into it. The barrier disappeared, but the door remained ajar. They were left with a choice. Choosing to pursue, they stepped through, coming out into an expanse surrounded by forest. Nanao mentally groaned. What was with this guy and bringing up bad memories?

The doorway disappeared, and they took a look around. On the edge of the wood line, laughter was heard. Yukio stepped out, and beside him stood a familiar shape.

It was a hollow.

Yukio walked a little farther out, and raised up his zanpakuto. Straining her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, she watched it twist into a coil-like shape. After the transformation, a ring of hollows had appeared around them.

Suddenly, Ivy's joke didn't seem so funny.

"Well, do you doubt my abilities now? I thought we could have some fun for a bit. I want to see you two bleed!"

At this, the hollow standing next to him gave a shrill cry, and the others joined in. Nanao automatically flared her hand, and Shunsui unsheathed Katen Kyoukotsu. They stood ready for battle, back to back. This was not going to be easy after all.

XoXoXoX

Nanao was tired. There was no denying it. Every muscle within her ached. It didn't matter how many hollows they managed to kill, more just kept coming, all persuaded by Yukio. It made things worse that he also joined the fray, striking at them when they were occupied and retreating before they could retaliate. Nanao knew that they needed to defeat him in order to get the hollows to stop, but every time either one of them got close, a hollow would defend him.

Finishing off another hollow close to her, she spared a glance at Shunsui. He was minimally injured, but she could still see little streams of blood rolling off of him. She was much the same. Between the endless flow of hollows and Yukio's interfering, they had gotten separated and fought on opposite sides of the field. If they kept up like this, they would never win. One of them had to get close to Yukio.

Her chance magically manifested for her as he appeared in front of her. He lunged, forcing her to move out of the way. He was fast, she would admit. Buying some time by moving some more, she began a chant of her own creation, a modification to a spell she already knew. Yukio was unrelenting, charging at Nanao one after another.

Shunsui saw what was happening, and tried to help. He found his path blocked by more hollows, however.

Nanao waited until Yukio was close to finish her chant. It brought down the lightning, cascading many bolts towards the ground. Hearing a painful yell, she knew that she hit her target. As intended, his sword flew from him. He flew back a few yards as well, being stunned for a moment from the shock.

Now was her chance. Being drained for the moment, she went for his zanpakuto as he did, hoping to give her the advantage. Unfortunately for her, a hollow chose that time to appear, slashing downwards at her. She was forced to deviate, the hollow clipping her foot in the process. She crashed towards the ground, landing on her back. His zanpakuto was out of her reach, a few feet away.

Just her luck, he pulled out a short sword. Handy, but not good for Nanao. She wasn't able to move, watching him reach out to strike at her. She closed her eyes and braced for the pain.

It didn't come.

She opened her eyes to see a wall of pink in front of her, hearing a strangled cry. All the remaining hollows abruptly stopped, eyes flashing as they disappeared into darkness. She got up as fast as she could in order to see what happened.

Shunsui stood between Yukio and Nanao, successfully stopping his attack with his own sword.

When Shunsui saw the hollow strike at her, he had darted towards her. On his way, he had picked up Yukio's zanpakuto, impaling him with it when he moved between them. Yukio was now gasping for breath, nearing his end.

Shunsui let go, and Yukio stumbled backward. He sunk to his knees looking at his hands that were full of his own blood. He looked up at them with sadness in his eyes. "What else...could I have done? It's...what she would've...wanted."

His eyes unwillingly closed, and he slumped backwards, blood streaming down.

Shunsui turned towards her. "Are you alright, Nanao?" She nodded, coming over to his side. He wrapped his arms around her, glad they were both in one piece and this was finally over.

XoXoXoX

"Shunsui, where are we going?"

"You'll see, my wonderful Nanao-chan."

Two days later, everything had calmed down. Soi Fon had met them in the world of the living, having sensed that the two of them had disappeared from the 52nd District. After some research by communications, they had pinpointed their locations based on all the hollows that appeared and disappeared. Everything had been over by the time they got there. Damage to them had been minimal, nothing the Fourth couldn't handle with ease.

Now, Shunsui was leading Nanao to one of the hills outside their division. He sat down and leaned against a tree, Nanao sitting beside him.

An array of colors in the sky greeted them, their own personal celebration, courtesy of the Shibas. One particular arrangement caught her eye. It showed a shining moon next to a sun, bringing out a scene from her memory.

Knowing what she was thinking, Shunsui spoke up, whispering in her ear. "You are the moon, and I am the sun. I will always love my Nanao-chan."

She grinned. "Then, because I hold love for you, this day must be complete."

Another explosion went off, and she gasped in awe. There was always something about fireworks that caught people's attention. "It's wonderful. How did you do this?"

He smiled at her. "I called in a few favors."

Leaning in to give him a kiss, she rested against him to watch the rest of the show contently. Things were definitely looking up now. Shunsui was now able to have a display for the joy he felt.

Yes, Kuukaku always had the best fireworks.

-Fin

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A/N: Yes, I realize that my poem is very cheesy, but I like it! So I used it anyway. I made a lot of references to "The Three Hardest Phrases" too. A few lines in the last chapter, the 52nd District, and the last battlefield were all the same. Thanks to those that read/reviewed/favorited/alerted once again. I hope you enjoyed! -KG


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